


Dark Before the Dawn

by doctornineandthreequarters



Series: Every Breath of Me [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Iron Man 1, Iron Man 2, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Iron Man 1, Post-Iron Man 2, Pre-Avengers (2012), Pre-Iron Man 2, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Pepper Potts, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-11-27 18:35:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 44,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18197840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: Even when it's dark before the dawnI'll feel your grace and carry on.And with every breath of meYou'll be the only light I see----It wasn't three days.Tony had promised he would be gone for only three days. So Peter was counting down the seconds until his dad got home.





	1. What Happens Now?

**Author's Note:**

> Song lyrics in the summary are from "Every Breath" by Boyce Avenue

It wasn't three days. 

Tony had promised he would be gone for only three days. So Peter was counting down the seconds until his dad got home. Sure, he was excited to see his aunt and uncle. He had tried to tackle Ben when they picked them up from the airport. But Ben was big and Peter didn't even cause him to stumble. May, of course, covered his face with kisses the minute she saw him, commenting on how much he had grown and how much she missed him. 

They did everything Tony promised. They went to Dodgers stadium to see a baseball game, where Ben just complained about his team and how they were the worst and May pretended like she understood what was going on. Peter got a hot dog and cotton candy so he was happy either way. He also had May, on the first day, help him make a card for Pepper for her birthday, which Pepper loved. They went to an amusement park, where they went on all the rides Peter was tall enough for. Ben even won Peter a stuffed animal from a booth where not too many people were winning. The man behind the booth didn't seem happy that he won, but Peter liked the stuffed dog that Ben got for him. 

But as the weekend wore on, Peter got more and more anxious to see his dad. Every night, after May and Ben would tuck him in and then turn off the lights, Peter would talk to JARVIS.

"How many hours until Monday?" He had asked JARVIS on Saturday night.

"36, young sir." That number was too big for Peter's liking and he had gone to bed more anxious than before. He wanted his dad to come home. He wanted to build Legos in the workshop while his dad worked. He wanted to ask him questions about his inventions and science and try his best to understand. He wanted to watch movies with his dad, his head pressed against his dad's arm or chest, the familiar warmth always keeping him comfortable. 

He wanted to see his dad, so badly.

Monday morning finally rolled around and Peter was excited. He had to go to school, but as May dropped him off at school, he excitedly reminded her that his dad would be home by the time he got home from school. He spent the whole school day with a huge grin on his face, excitedly watching the clock until it finally landed on three. Normally, he'd stick around to help Ms. Tate, but that day he bolted out of class and to Happy's car, babbling excitedly about his dad finally coming home. 

But when he got home, his dad wasn't there. And after an hour of being home, his dad still wasn't there. Hours ticked by and still his dad didn't come home. Peter sat in the living room all night, waiting for his dad to walk in. 

"Peter you have to go to bed," May said gently, trying to pry him up from the couch. Peter shook his head, still intently staring at the door. "Come on sweetie. Your dad's plane was probably just late." Peter looked at her and she smiled and he had no reason not to believe her. So he went to bed, because that was what he was supposed to do.

But he couldn't sleep. Because his dad had promised him that he would be there and he wasn't.

* * *

Sometime later, Peter heard voices down the hall. He quietly got out of bed and tiptoed down the hall. He saw Ben and May standing together, a sad look on May's face. Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper were standing across from them. Seeing Rhodey's face, Peter couldn't describe the kind of pain on his uncle's face. 

"We're going to do everything to find him," Rhodey said. Peter's breath caught in his throat. Did something happen to his dad?

"He can't just stay here alone," May said quietly. "He can come stay with us." Pepper gasped a little and Rhodey looked at May wide-eyed. "It's what Mary would have wanted.”

"This is his home," Rhodey said. "You can't just take him away from here. Nothing has been confirmed." Ben shook his head.

"You know as well as I do what can happen out there Rhodes," Ben said. "A guy like Stark, lost out there? Even the best soldier would be doomed." Rhodey's fists gripped tightly and he clenched his mouth shut to not lose it on Ben. Peter watched quietly, no one noticing him yet.

"He's not gone," Rhodey said. "We're going to find him."

"And how long is that going to take?" Ben asked, his voice rising. "You want to lie to that little boy and convince him his idiot father is going to be okay? Stark got himself into this mess and the odds of him getting out are minimal at best. Peter should come with us. We are his family."

"So are we," Rhodey said, darkly. "And you underestimate Tony Stark." Ben shook his head and May tapped his arm, trying to calm him down. 

"Stark's gone," Ben said. "Just move on and let Peter stay with people who are going to be there for him." Before Rhodey could respond, Happy cleared his throat. He had spotted Peter hiding in the hallway. Everyone turned to where Happy was looking, seeing the small boy. Ben's face paled. Rhodey sighed, the anger leaving his body. Happy walked over to Peter and put his hand on the small boy's shoulder, guiding him over. 

In the light, Peter could better see everyone. Happy's tie was loosened and his hair was a mess. Ben's face was pale as a ghost, guilt written all over his face. May's hair was in a messy ponytail, her eyes filled with exhaustion and concern. Pepper looked like she had been crying, her eyes still red with tears. And Rhodey. Rhodey looked like he hadn't slept in a long time. His clothes were wrinkled and there were deep bags under his eyes. Rhodey bent down so he was at eye level with Peter.

"Where's my daddy?" Peter asked, already afraid of the answer. Rhodey sighed, doing nothing to quell Peter's fear. 

"Buddy listen," Rhodey started gently. "Something happened while we were on our work trip and well, we can't find your dad."

"What do you mean?"  Peter asked. He looked around the room at the other adults. He remembered Ben's words.  _Stark's gone_. He looked back at Rhodey. "N-no. No!" His eyes started to fill with tears and Rhodey's face broke into concern. "My daddy's not gone! He promised me he'd come back! He promised!" May walked over quickly to Peter but Peter shook his head. "He's not gone like mommy, he's not!" May's hand flew up to her mouth and she stepped back, tears springing to her eyes. 

"Peter, hey, look at me." Rhodey said, taking the small boy's shoulders. Peter's eyes were filling with tears and his body already shaking with sobs. "I am going to find your dad okay?" Peter nodded and threw his arms around Rhodey's neck. Rhodey hugged the small boy closely. He loved his nephew and would do anything for him, just as he would for Tony. Peter let go and then looked at Ben. 

"Peter," Ben started. 

"No." Peter said, glaring at his uncle. "My daddy is coming back. He's not gone."

"I think," Pepper said, finally speaking up. "You both should go. Happy, see the Parkers out." Happy nodded. Ben sighed and glanced at Peter, who was still fixing him with angry gaze, tears dribbling down his face. May walked over to him and Peter let her hug him.

"I love you Peter," May said gently. "We both do." She then let go and the two left the house. The house grew silent. Peter looked up at Rhodey and Pepper.

"What happens now?"


	2. Three Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months. Three months of Peter's nightmares. Three months of rocking the distressed six-year-old to sleep. Three months of negotiating eating, sleeping, and baths. Three months until Pepper finally got the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh...did you order a side of tears with your angst?

The first day after the news, Peter stayed home from school. He couldn't sleep after May and Ben left, Ben's words stuck in his head. He spent most of the day, crying, hugging Platy close to him. At one point he took the stuffed animal that Ben won for him and threw it out the window. He didn't want it in his room anymore. Rhodey and Pepper stayed with him all day, each alternating taking phone calls. Happy milled around in the background getting food or fielding calls from Peter's school. They watched movies because Pepper was worried what the news was saying and if Peter saw any of it.

But the next day, Peter had to go to school. And he didn't want to. Nobody at school was going to understand. Most of the kids were nice to him, but any mention of his dad made him want to cry. And no one would understand that. He spent the whole day not speaking, refusing to ask questions even during a science experiment. Ms. Tate watched him the whole day, a concerned look on her face. He wasn't sure if she knew or not.

When the day was finally over and Peter went home, Rhodey wasn't there. Happy explained that Rhodey had gone back to Afghanistan to find his dad. Peter wished and wished that when Rhodey came back, his dad would be with him. Pepper ate dinner with him and said she would stay with him for as long as necessary. She was his godmother after all. She read a story to him before bed and then turned off the lights. 

But Peter couldn't sleep.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, young sir."

"Where's daddy?"

"I am afraid I do not know the answer to that question." Peter's eyes pricked with tears.  

"I miss daddy." Peter said quietly, the tears slowly falling. 

"Perhaps I can show you something to help." JARVIS said. The TV screen in Peter's room came to life. It was a video. Peter was small, probably a year old. Tony was holding him, bouncing around the nursery. He was singing too. Peter didn't understand the words but the song sounded familiar. The tears kept falling, but the song eventually soothed Peter to sleep.

* * *

Pepper spent the most time with Peter. Rhodey was constantly going to Afghanistan or in DC, doing his best to locate Tony. Happy helped, but he wasn't great with kids in general. And Pepper loved Peter more than she could say. But Peter was taking Tony being missing harder than anyone could have expected. The second night, she heard Peter cry himself to sleep, a video of Tony singing finally tiring him out enough to pass out. 

The third night is when the nightmares started.

Pepper slept in one of Tony's many guest rooms. Her apartment wasn't big enough to bring Peter too and he was probably more comfortable in his own bed. Even in such a big house, she heard the shouting before JARVIS even alerted her. She ran down the hallway, her loose strawberry blonde hair bouncing up and down as she went. She nearly cried herself when she reached Peter's room.

Peter was curled up into a ball his arms thrashing about. His eyes were squeezed shut and his face was filled with panic.

"Daddy!" Peter screamed. Pepper approached his bed and gently shook his arm. The little boy woke with a start, his eyes flying around the room. When he saw Pepper, he burst into tears. "I want my daddy." Pepper crouched down and pulled the boy close, his sobs being muffled by Pepper's hair.

"I know sweetie, I know." She said gently holding him. She rubbed circles on his back, trying to soothe him. Eventually, the boy tired himself out so much that he fell back to sleep. But the nightmares would keep coming, each one worse than the next. Pepper started to worry about Peter's sleep. He was waking up at least once a night in a fit of terror, screaming for Tony. She wondered if she needed to take him to a doctor or therapist. 

Like the true Stark he was, Peter seemed to believe that not sleeping was the answer. Getting Peter to even get ready for bed became an uphill battle. He'd stare at Pepper with his big doe eyes and beg her not to make him go to sleep. But eventually, his little body would give out and he'd pass out from sheer exhaustion. Pepper could also barely sleep, constantly worrying about Peter and having to go check on him.

That's when the wandering began. 

Pepper would go to check on Peter and find his bed empty. With JARVIS's help, she would always find the boy in two places. 

The first was in Tony's room. She'd find Peter sitting on Tony's bed sadly looking around the massive room, his small stature being overtaken by the grandeur of it all. Once, she had found him in the walk-in closet, using a pile of Tony's sweatshirts as a pillow, his tiny face buried in them.

"You have to go back to bed sweetie," Pepper said, gently trying to lift the boy. Peter shook his head, his eyes blurring with tears.

"Daddy always smells like cologne and oil," The six-year-old said. "I don't want to forget that." And Pepper just hugged Peter tightly, fighting back her own tears. 

The other place Pepper would find Peter in the middle of the night was outside of Tony's workshop. He would tiptoe down the stairs, his bare feet barely making a sound and then stand in front of the glass doors, sadly staring at the massive room. His eyes kept falling on the Legos on one side of the room, the building incomplete.

"We can go get them sweetie," Pepper said, gently placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter shook his head.

"I was building it while daddy worked on the car," Peter said sadly. "I'll finish it when he comes home." Pepper nodded, seeing the little boy tear up. He leaned into Pepper's side, his tears melting into the side of her pant leg. 

"Okay sweetie."

Pepper spent most of her time with Peter, comforting the small boy. He cried so much in the time that Tony was missing. It nearly broke Pepper to watch the small boy fall apart. She herself wanted to fall apart, but she had to stay strong for Peter. She was lucky that she had help from Happy and Rhodey. When Rhodey was around, he would take care of Peter. He said he needed time with Peter to motivate him to keep going. The search for Tony wasn't yielding much results and it felt like he was the only one who cared. But then Rhodey would see Peter, his little eyes filled with tears, looking up hopefully at Rhodey, he remembered why he was doing it. Happy would drive Peter to and from school. He'd usually stop somewhere after school, hoping fast food or ice cream would make the kid feel better. It didn't, but it was Happy's way of trying.

Pepper was pleasantly surprised how helpful Peter's teacher Ms. Tate was. Pepper hadn't met the woman, but Tony only had nice things to say about her. And after a phone call with her, Pepper knew why.

"I know Peter's having a hard time," Ms. Tate said. "So I hope it's okay that I let him stay with me during recess. I think it could help." And in a way, it did. Peter was able to cry freely at school when he stayed in Ms. Tate's room. She never judged him and never pushed him to talk. Usually, she'd just give him a task to do to distract him. But Peter the school year was close to being over when Tony left. He only had Ms. Tate and her kindness for a little before the school-year ended.

* * *

Three months. Three months of Peter's nightmares. Three months of rocking the distressed six-year-old to sleep. Three months of negotiating eating, sleeping, and baths. Three months until Pepper finally got the call.

"We found him. Alive. We're bringing him home." Pepper exhaled out of relief, her eyes welling with tears. Tony was alive. He was coming home. Pepper grabbed Happy, telling when they would go to the airport. She thought about telling Peter, but decide it would be better to just bring him to the airport. Peter sat quietly in the car, staring out the window. He didn't ask when Pepper told him they were going for a ride. When they got to the airport, Peter looked around a little perplexed.

 "Why are we here?" Peter asked as they got out of the car. He held Pepper's hand as they waited in front of the Audi, Happy standing protectively behind them. There was a large military style plane, that had just landed, sitting in front of them.

 "You'll see." Peter stared anxiously at the plane. Suddenly, the plane began to open, a ramp coming down. Peter could see the shadows of two people as the ramp lowered. When it touched the ground, they started moving off the plane. As they stepped into the light, Peter finally realized who it was.

"Daddy!"


	3. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the minute the explosion went off, all Tony thought about was Peter. His beautiful, perfect son. When Tony thought death was coming for him after the explosion, when the shrapnel ripped into his chest, he thought about his son's laugh; how light and warm it was. He thought about how Peter's tongue poked out of his mouth when he was focused and how adorable it was to Tony. He thought about the last time he hugged his son and how he wished that had lasted forever.

From the minute the explosion went off, all Tony thought about was Peter. His beautiful, perfect son. When Tony thought death was coming for him after the explosion, when the shrapnel ripped into his chest, he thought about his son's laugh; how light and warm it was. He thought about how Peter's tongue poked out of his mouth when he was focused and how adorable it was to Tony. He thought about the last time he hugged his son and how he wished that had lasted forever.

When Tony lived but realized his captors were going to use him for his skills until they didn't need him anymore, he thought of Peter. How his son always asked a million questions. How he wanted to know how everything worked, even if he didn't understand. 

When he started to build the armor with Yinsen, he thought about protecting his son. These people came after him, what if they went after Peter next? 

"Do you have a family, Stark?" Yinsen asked. Tony thought about Peter, his family, his whole world. The only beautiful thing he had created. 

"Yes." Because he had his son and he needed to get home to him. He had made a promise and he wouldn't break a promise. Not to Peter. 

When he finally escaped, bruised and a little broken, the arc reactor firmly still in his chest, he trudged through the desert. He had to find something or someone. He had to get home to his son. To his bambino. And when the plane appeared and he saw Rhodey, he knew he was safe. 

He knew he was finally going home.

* * *

The airplane ride was agonizing. The suit Rhodey had for him didn't fit right, but then again, he hadn't eaten properly in three months. The arc reactor made the shirt fit weirdly. His arm was in a sling, which annoyed Tony. Rhodey gently suggested going to a hospital, but Tony refused. He wanted to land back in America. He wanted to see his son. He sat in the stupid wheelchair that Rhodey made him sit in, his whole body shaking with impatience. When the ramp finally was down and Rhodey helped him up, Tony had planned to find Happy and head straight to wherever Peter was.

Thankfully, he didn't have to go that far.

"Daddy!" Tony's eyes stung with tears as he saw Peter for the first time in months. The little boy broke away from Pepper and ran at Tony. Tony didn't care that his arm was in a sling or that he was a bruised mess. He crouched down and opened his arms as Peter came crashing into him. Tony groaned a little but hugged his son tightly with one hand. He stood up and held the boy closely to him, glad to have his son there with him. He could feel Peter's body shaking with sobs. 

"Oh bambino," Tony whispered, kissing the top of his head, messy curls getting in the way. He breathed in, getting a nose full of Peter's shampoo, which smelled of the same watermelon-scented shampoo that he remembered. It was some weird kid brand that Peter was obsessed with it. But god, he was holding his son for the first time in too long. Peter looked up at his dad, eyes full of tears. 

“I knew you’d come back,” Peter said. He tucked his head onto his dad’s shoulder, not wanting to be away from him. Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He ignored the stretcher near Rhodey and walked over to where Pepper and Happy were. Pepper’s eyes were somewhat red, but she had a small smile on her face.

“Tears for your long-lost boss?” Tony asked, with a slight smirk. She held back a watery laugh.

“Tears of joy,” Pepper said. “I hate job hunting.” Tony nodded. Rhodey told him on the plane that she had been taking care of Peter. He wanted to thank her, but he didn’t know the right words for that. He settled on figuring it out later. He had something else to take care of.

“Well break’s over.” He said. He nodded to Happy, who gave him a very Happy Hogan nod. Happy opened the car door for Tony, as his only free hand was holding Peter. He ducked into the car, still tightly holding on to Peter. As he sat down, Peter curled up into his lap. He leaned his head on Tony’s chest and frowned when it felt harder than it should have. Peter looked up at his father, perplexed. Tony didn’t say anything, not sure how to explain the arc reactor in his chest to his son. Peter decided not to ask, at least not right then and just found a different spot on Tony’s chest to place his head.

“Where to boss?” Happy asked after he and Pepper got into the car. Pepper was sitting in the back, since there was room with how Peter was sitting.

“The hospital Happy,” Pepper said and Tony shook his head. He did not want to go to the hospital. He did not want to deal with what was really wrong with his body. At least not right now. He had bigger fish to fry.

“No.” Tony said firmly. “I wanted three things when I got home. I’ve got one of them right here.” He glanced down at Peter, running his thumb across his son’s cheek. Peter just snuggled closer to his dad. Pepper was glad that Peter had his dad back, but she gave Tony a look saying he needed to go to the hospital. “I want two other things. I want an American cheeseburger.”

“Can I get a cheeseburger too, daddy?” Peter asked. Tony smiled and kissed the top of his son’s head.

“Yes bambino,” Tony said. He then turned to Pepper. “And I want to call a press conference. Drive Hogan.” The car started and Pepper stared at Tony in shock. He just gave her a look and then went back to doting on his son. Pepper let out a huff of annoyance, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to talk Tony out of it. She pulled out her cell phone and began making the arrangements. Leave it to Tony Stark to come back from being held captive for three months and demand a press conference. But then she looked at him with Peter and for the first time in months, Peter wasn’t miserable. The little boy still looked exhausted, but he finally looked content.

* * *

Peter had to sit in the car when they got to Stark Industries. Happy was instructed to say with him and keep the engine running. Peter almost started crying again, but Tony promised he would be quick. When they pulled up to the building, there were hundreds of reporters with cameras. Tony was glad the windows were tinted; no one could see Peter then.

“Stay here bambino,” Tony said, before quickly getting out of the car. He closed the door quickly, so no one could snap a photo of Peter. Peter sat sadly in the car, watching his dad walk up the steps. Obadiah was there, causing Peter to move away from the door. Seeing him made Peter glad he was still in the car. He quietly nibbled the cheeseburger and waited patiently.

“Uncle Happy,” Peter said, looking up from his food. Happy turned around and looked at him. Peter had on what the adults in his life called his ‘inquisitive face’, which meant Happy was about to get bombarded with questions. “Is my daddy going to be okay?”

“Seems fine to me buddy,” Happy said. Peter made a face. “Why do you ask?” Peter shrugged and took a bite of his food “Aren’t you happy he’s home?”

“Yeah!” Peter said, with a mouthful of burger. Happy grimaced and Peter smiled sheepishly. He chewed and swallowed the food and continued. “He’s just been gone so long. How do I know he won’t be different?” Happy sighed and turned so he was more fully facing Peter. It was a fair question. Happy knew enough guys in the military who weren’t the same after. But Tony wasn’t a soldier; who knew what sort of effect whatever happened to him would have?

“He’s still your dad,” Happy said. “And I think no matter, he’s still gonna be there for you and love you.” Peter nodded and smiled a little.

“Thanks Uncle Happy,” Peter said with a small smile. He went back to his burger, feeling a little better. Sometime later, his father opened the car door and got in. Peter could see Obadiah outside near the car.

“Home Happy, now please.” Peter snuggled back against his dad’s arm. Tony looked down at him, a small smile on his face. “God, I missed you, bambino.”

“I missed you too daddy,” Peter said, abandoning the burger to hug his dad’s side tightly. Maybe he was hugging his dad too much, but it had been a long time since he had hugged his dad. And Tony didn’t seem to mind. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me too Peter, me too.”


	4. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter didn’t want to leave his dad’s side and luckily, Tony agreed with that sentiment. When they got home, Peter stayed by his dad as much as he could.

Peter didn’t want to leave his dad’s side and luckily, Tony agreed with that sentiment. When they got home, Peter stayed by his dad as much as he could. The only time he couldn’t was when Tony needed a shower, but Peter sat on the bed in his room and waited. He could hear Pepper’s heels going back and forth in the hallway. She seemed to be on the phone a lot since they got back. Peter wondered if it had anything to do when his dad went into the office.

“Peter?” Pepper poked her head into the room. “I’m going to get some food for you and your dad, okay?” Peter nodded and Pepper smiled. “Let your dad know, okay sweetie?”

“Let me know what?” Tony asked, coming out of the bathroom in a robe. He was a little more relaxed than before, but a hot shower could do that.

“Getting you two some dinner,” Pepper said. “Since a cheeseburger two hours ago does not count.” Tony nodded and Pepper left the room. Tony disappeared into the walk-in closet. Peter kicked his legs back and forth on the bed, waiting for him to reappear. There was so much he wanted to tell his dad and even more he wanted to ask. But he wasn’t sure when was a right to ask or even talk to him about it. Tony came back out wearing a zipped up MIT hoodie and gray pajama pants. He laid down on the bed and let out a comfortable sigh. Peter scooted backwards until he was sitting next to his dad.

“Daddy?” Peter asked and Tony cracked open an eye. “Are you okay?” Tony tilted his head. His son was more and more perceptive each day. A thought dawned on him.

“Bambino, what day is it?” Tony asked.

“August 2nd daddy.” Peter said. Tony sighed in relief. “My birthday is in eight days.”

“I know bambino,” Tony said. “I got worried I missed it. Haven’t missed a single one.” There was some relief in Tony that he didn’t miss Peter’s seventh birthday. He would have never forgiven himself if his stupidity had been the reason he missed that. He hoped he could fix some of his mistakes by stopping the sale of weapons, even if it hurt the company. Those weapons were the reason he was captured and almost killed in the first place. He couldn’t have that on his conscience.

“You didn’t answer my first question,” Peter said, fixing his dad with a gaze. Tony sighed and pulled his son over to him, tickling his sides. Peter giggled and Tony smiled. “Daddy.”

“Sorry bambino,” Tony said. “I just missed you so much. You know, when I was stuck over there, all I thought about was getting home and seeing you again. You’re kind of my whole world, bambino.” He sat up and pulled Peter into his lap pressing kisses all over the little boy’s face. The room filled with shrieks of Peter’s giggles, eliciting a bigger smile from Tony.

“I love you, daddy.” Peter said, leaning his head against Tony’s chest. He made a face when he felt something hard where his head should’ve gone. He lifted his head up and looked at Tony. “You’re not as good of a pillow anymore.” Tony sighed. Should he tell Peter about it? With how inquisitive his son was, he was sure he would figure it out eventually.

“Well buddy some things happened to me while I was gone,” Tony started. Peter nodded, staring fully focused at his dad. “I got really hurt and this very nice man named Yinsen had to help me so I didn’t die.” Peter’s lip quivered a little and Tony moved his hand to Peter’s back, rubbing a few calming circles on his son’s back. “And I made something to help me stay alive for a very, very long time.” He then unzipped a little bit of sweatshirt, so Peter could see the arc reactor. Peter stared at it, a slight open-mouth gaze. He looked up at his dad and then back at the circular object protruding from his chest. Peter reached one finger up and poked in. When it made a hollow, metallic noise, Peter’s mouth dropped open wider.

“What is it?” He asked, staring at the blue light coming off of it. Tony watched his son’s shocked face. He didn’t seem upset by it, more intrigued. Leave it to his kid to not be perturbed by a metal disc coming out of his own father’s chest.

“It’s called an arc reactor,” Tony said. Peter tilted his head.

“Isn’t that the name of the big thing you have at work that spins around all day?” Peter asked. He made a circular motion with his index finger as if to help specify what he was talking about. Tony chuckled and nodded. Of course Peter would remember him mentioning the technology that helped power the Stark Industries building. He made a mental note to test his son’s intelligence soon, just to get a going rate on the exact number. “So it helps you?” Tony nodded. “Is it safe?” Tony nodded, though that wasn’t necessarily the truest of answers. The current tech in him probably wasn’t safe and was probably something he needed to replace. But the mini reactor in his chest would do the job for at least one more day. He could replace it in the morning. Tony zipped his sweatshirt back up.

“So that’s why I’m not such a great pillow anymore.” He tickled Peter’s side and Peter giggled. He smiled, not quite getting over hearing that sound again. He was loving every second of being back home with his son. He had missed Peter more than he could ever explain to anyone. If it meant living with an arc reactor helping keep him alive for the rest of his life, he would if it meant being home with his son, his perfect, wonderful son.

“I’ll find a new spot,” Peter said with a shrug and Tony chuckled. “Besides, you’re home and I missed you, daddy.” Tony placed a kiss on the top of his son’s head. He wondered how his son handled those three months. Between the arc reactor and the suit, he had things keeping him busy for those three months; work that he could focus on while he tried to get away and get home. But his son was a child. How did he handle him being going? He made a mental note to ask Pepper when she got back.

“Let’s watch a movie bambino,” Tony said. “JARVIS, play Aladdin.” Peter smiled. Tony leaned back against the pillows. Peter moved so he was sitting next to his dad. Tony wrapped his arm around the six-year-old, allowing Peter to snuggle into Tony’s side. Tony stretched his legs out and sighed contentedly. He was home and that was all that mattered to him. Every other problem that was certainly swirling around him (the company, Obie, reporters, stock prices, his health) that could wait until the morning. Right now, he just wanted to spend time Peter.

When Pepper returned with food a half hour after she left, she found Tony and Peter both fast asleep. Tony had his arm wrapped protectively around Peter and Peter was using Tony’s side as a pillow. She smiled, closing the door. She would leave the food and deal with any fallout from the press conference tomorrow. Right now, she was just satisfied that both of them were fine.


	5. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony didn’t expect to sleep much that night. Though he was home, a part of him expected to be plagued with the same nightmares he had been having for the last three months. Nightmares of the explosion, nightmares of being tortured, nightmares of dying, or nightmares of never seeing Peter again. They had all kept him up, forcing him to work more to get out of the terror he had been trapped. He expected any of that to wake him up. But they didn’t.
> 
> Instead it was the sound of his son shouting.

Tony didn’t expect to sleep much that night. Though he was home, a part of him expected to be plagued with the same nightmares he had been having for the last three months. Nightmares of the explosion, nightmares of being tortured, nightmares of dying, or nightmares of never seeing Peter again. They had all kept him up, forcing him to work more to get out of the terror he had been trapped. He expected any of that to wake him up. But they didn’t.

Instead it was the sound of his son shouting.

Tony was jolted out of sleep. He glanced around the room, alarmed and confused, startled to be in his own bed. Then he heard the crying and looked next to him. Peter was still asleep, but was thrashing around. Tony’s eyes widened in panic.

“Daddy!” The little boy shouted in his sleep, his arms flailing about.

“Peter, buddy wake up,” Tony said. He reached over and shook his son gently. Peter shouted again and Tony felt his entire heart break. Clearly, his son wasn’t as okay as he had hoped. Tony gently shook his son again and Peter woke up. He looked up to see Tony.

“Daddy?” Peter asked and Tony nodded. “Daddy.” The little boy repeated before breaking down. Tony lifted Peter up and held him close. Peter sobbed into his shoulder and Tony hugged Peter, rubbing circles on the six-year-old’s back.

“I’m here bambino,” Tony said. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” Peter nodded and looked up at Tony. Even in the dark, Tony could see that his son’s big doe eyes were full of tears.

“I dreamed you were gone again,” Peter said. “That you didn’t come back and I was alone.” Tony squeezed his eyes shut. Guilt filled up his entire being. Did these nightmares happen often? Had his son been this terrified this whole time he was gone?

“I’m right here Peter,” Tony said, a little urgency in his voice. “And I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m going to make sure that no one hurts me like that ever again, okay?” A few tears dropped down Peter’s face. Tony gently brushed them away, stroking his son’s cheek in the process. 

“How daddy?” Peter asked. “How are you going to do that?” Tony sighed. That was a more complicated answer then he was ready to explain. He had told Peter about the arc reactor. How much more could he really tell his son?

“We’ll talk about it in the morning okay?” Peter nodded. “Let’s just try and go back to sleep.” Peter didn’t move, not wanting to be any further away from his father. Tony just leaned back, the pillows supporting his lower back. Peter leaned his head on the crook between Tony’s neck and shoulder, gripping tightly onto his father’s sweatshirt.

“Daddy,” Peter said quietly. “When you were gone, JARVIS would show me a video of you singing to me when I was really little and it would help me fall asleep.” A small tear ran down Tony’s face. Even when he wasn’t there, Peter still had a piece of him to help soothe him. “Can you sing that for me?”

“Of course bambino,” Tony said, pressing a kiss into his son’s hair. His voice was barely above a whisper as the words to the Italian lullaby gently tumbled out of his mouth. He remembered all the nights he would hold his newborn son and sing it to him then. He had been so scared that he was going to screw up back then, but holding Peter and singing him the same song his mother sung to him made him think that maybe it was going to be alright. As rocking Peter to sleep got easier over time, he stopped doing it. He wasn't sure exactly when, but he figured he stopped before Peter turned two, as the little boy didn't remember it on his own. But as he leaned against the pillows, gently singing to Peter, as the little boy’s head lolled against his shoulder, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness for not having continued it. He was grateful that JARVIS showed the video to Peter, but he also felt guilty for not having just done so for his son himself.

He looked down at Peter. The little boy had nodded off, his little chest gently moving up and down with relaxed breaths.. Tony gently lifted him and placed him lying down on the bed. He scooted back down to a lying position and wrapped his arm protectively around his son.

“Sogni d’oro bambino,” He whispered, kissing his son’s forehead. “Sweet dreams little one.” He then closed his eyes, hoping to find a somewhat peaceful rest waiting for him as well.

* * *

Peter was rightfully exhausted in the morning. Even with sleeping in late, Peter looked like most of his sleep had not been restful. The little boy sat in bed, rubbing at his eyes, a grumpy look on his face. Tony was standing at the side of the bed that Peter had been sleeping on, trying to wake his son up. 

"Come on Peter," Tony said. "Breakfast time." Peter whined a little from the exhaustion. Tony scooped the boy up and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I'll make pancakes." Peter rested his head on Tony's shoulder, playing with the fabric of the MIT sweatshirt that his father had on.

"I haven't had pancakes since you left," Peter said quietly. "Uncle Rhodey tried to make them for me on Sunday and I didn't want them. Sunday pancakes are our thing." Tony bit back a sigh and kissed his son's forehead, more guilt eating away at him. He needed to have a conversation with Pepper and Rhodey about what his son had been through. He headed towards the kitchen, carrying Peter the whole way. When he reached the end of the hallway, he spotted Pepper sitting on the couch, working.

"Good morning Ms. Potts," Tony said, getting the strawberry blonde's attention. She looked up from her laptop and gave him a small smile. "See hi to Pepper, Peter." Peter waved.

"Morning Peter," She said, her smile growing. She could see the little boy was tired and wondered if he had another nightmare. Tony coming home wasn't going to resolve the nightmares, but it certainly could make them easier to deal with. 

"Daddy's gonna make pancakes," Peter said quietly, glancing up at his dad. Tony smiled down at his son and Pepper felt a familiar happiness when she watched Tony interact with her son. Things were far from being perfect, but for now, they certainly were okay. "Can I play with my Legos while you make breakfast?" Tony nodded and set his son down. Peter scurried over to the living room, finding one of the many buckets that held his numerous sets of Legos. Tony headed towards the kitchen to begin cooking. Pepper watched Peter for a second, seeing the ease with which the boy set about to building the Legos. She smiled to herself before getting up, smoothing out her gray skirt. She walked over to the kitchen where Tony had gone. He was already in the process of assembling the ingredients for pancakes. 

"Peter had a nightmare last night," Tony said, loud enough for Pepper to hear. "Did that happen a lot while I was," His voice trailed off and he looked up at Pepper. She nodded sadly. Tony internally cursed and glanced at his son, wondering what kind of thoughts had been running through the little boy's head while he had been held in captivity.

"It started a few days after we told him what happened," Pepper said. "He overheard Ben claiming you were gone. Ben and May wanted to take him back to Queens and be his permanent guardians." Tony, who was stirring batter in a bowl, paused and almost chucked the spoon across the room. Instead, he angrily dropped it in the sink, the hollow thud having to suffice. 

"Leave it to Ben Parker to try and take my son the minute something bad happens," Tony said, a slight growl in his voice. 

"Peter heard him," Pepper said. "We must have woken him up, but we didn't notice soon enough. Happy finally spotted him listening in, but he had already heard Ben claiming you were gone and that you weren't coming back. I think that did something to Peter because a few days later, the nightmares started." Tony's hands were shaking as he dropped the batter onto a frying pan. Pepper walked over to him and steadied his hands. 

"Remind me to give Ben Parker a piece of my mind," Tony said putting the bowl down. He leaned against the counter and sighed. "I know he hates me. I've known that since the moment I met the man. But how could he be so callous with Peter in the house?"

"I don't know," Pepper said quietly. "Rhodey did his best to assure Peter that he would find you but I think Ben's words did some real damage. He and May have tried calling to apologize but I wouldn't let them talk to Peter."

"Thank you for that," Tony said, taking a spatula and flipping the pancakes. "I'll have a conversation with May in a few days. Maybe it's time to reassess their involvement in Peter's life." Pepper nodded and she glanced over at Peter. The little boy was still happily building the Legos.

"It's clear he's glad you're home." Pepper said. "The last three months were hard for him. He didn't want to do anything while you were gone. He was just so sad." Tony glanced over at his son sadly. It was difficult to consider how much his capture had hurt his son. He had barely dealt with what the Ten Rings had done, but he had to do so to help his own son. 

"Thank you for looking out for him," Tony said. "I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Pepper said. "Not that I'm suggesting you go missing again. I think we're all better off for you being here."

"Nicest thing you've ever said to me, Ms. Potts," Tony said, a slight smirk crossing his face. Pepper rolled her eyes, but a small smile graced her face. Yes, Tony Stark drove her crazy. He could memorize anything from the entire periodic table to his son's school schedule, but he didn't know his own social security number. He was a pain in the ass most days and full of insufferable confidence other days. And she was so glad that her boss was back.

"Breakfast is ready Pete," Tony called over to his son. "Pancakes?"

"I ate before I came over," Pepper said, patting his arm. "But thank you." She crossed back over to the couch as Peter scurried over to the table. He climbed his way up to his chair, a plastic red booster seat helping him reach the full height of the table. Tony placed a plate of pancakes and utensils in front of Peter.

"Eat up buddy," Tony said, ruffling his son's hair. Peter smiled before digging into his food. Tony sat down at the table and eating small bites of the pancakes. Mostly he was watching his son. Peter was munching away on the pancakes, a happy smile on his face. Tony thought about what his son had had to go through. Having someone like Ben, who Peter adored, refer to Tony as gone? No wonder Peter was having nightmares, even with Tony being back. He sighed to himself. There was something he was going to have to do. 

He was going to have to talk to May and Ben.


	6. A Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mr. Stark," May said, her voice sounding a little startled. "Welcome back. I guess I'm a little surprised to hear from you."
> 
> "Why?" Tony asked. "Figured I'd never let you near my son again after your husband traumatized him?" May let out a sigh and a pained one at that.

Tony stood in his workshop, watching DUM-E clean up. He pulled a shirt over his head, twisting the fabric a little to make it fit over the arc reactor. The new one he had built was a bit bigger and would run much better. That was mostly due to the fact that it was built in a state-of-the-art workshop and not a cave. He wasn't sure why Pepper wanted to know what to do with the old one. It was both technologically inefficient and a reminder of the worst time of his life. A time when he was away from his son. 

He shook the thought away, knowing Peter was safely upstairs playing in his room. Peter had wanted to come down to the workshop with him and normally, Tony would have let him. But today, he had two reasons for keeping his son out of the workshop. The first one was he didn't want Peter seeing him replace the arc reactor, as he didn't want to traumatize his son (and or get a myriad of questions because this was his kid after all). He would've done it alone, but he couldn't reach far enough with his hands and he didn't trust DUM-E to do it (he might've built the bot, but that didn't mean that DUM-E wasn't a total butterfingers at times). Luckily Pepper was around to help, even though he was sure she hated every moment of it. The second reason was that Tony needed to make a private phone call.

He had to call May. It had been a few days since he returned. He knew the moment Pepper told him what happened that he had to talk to them. But he couldn't have Peter overhearing. They both had been traumatized enough, he didn't need to add this to the list. He sighed and pulled the cell phone out of his pocket. His finger hovered over the contact information for May Parker. What was going to happen when she answered? Was she sorry for what her husband said? Was he going to lose his cool at her? He sighed, finally pressing the number and holding the phone up to his ear. He paced the room as he waited through the ringing.

"Mr. Stark," May said, her voice sounding a little startled. "Welcome back. I guess I'm a little surprised to hear from you."

"Why?" Tony asked. "Figured I'd never let you near my son again after your husband traumatized him?" May let out a sigh and a pained one at that.

"I'm so sorry," May said, her voice so quiet, quieter than Tony had ever heard. "Ben wouldn't have said something like that if he knew Peter was listening.” 

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Tony said through gritted teeth. “Your husband wishing death on me is quite an issue.” 

“He’s a cop,” May said. “People go to work all the time and don’t come home. Mary and Richard did.” Tony pursed his lips, a frustrated growl at the back of his throat. “I’m not saying what he said was right, but he wasn’t wishing death on you. We just want what’s best for Peter.” 

“And tell me how what’s best would have been to take him from his home and move him across the country? How does that logic work?”

“We’re his family.” Her voice was so quiet, it almost sounded like she was crying,

“Because Mary asked me to let you be,” Tony said. “But at the end of the day, I make the final call who is in my son’s life.” He heard May sniffle on the other end. Was she really crying? Maybe Tony was being harsh. No, he was not. She and Ben had hurt Peter.

“So are you just not allowing us to be in his life anymore?” May asked quietly. “Just because of what Ben said?” Tony bit back a growl, a snarl forming at his lip. He didn’t want to lose his cool but, he just couldn’t hold it together. 

“Peter’s had nightmares every night since Ben opened his mouth.” Tony nearly shouted. “I don’t know if my son is going to be okay after this and after what your husband said, you want me to just let you be in his life?” He heard a muffled sound on the other end. May was definitely crying. There was a noise, kind of like a shuffling and then the sound of May’s cries was gone.

“Stark.” Tony growled hearing Ben Parker’s voice. This was his fault. He just had to open his big mouth. He just had to scare his son that he was never coming home. “I don’t quite like you making my wife cry.”

“And I don’t like you giving my son nightmares.”

“It was your stupid weapons that got you in that mess Stark,” Ben said. “I might’ve not chosen my words wisely, but the only person to blame for what happened to Peter is you. You left him for work. Your work is why you were gone for three months. Yeah, I don’t like you and I thought you were dead as a doornail. Shockingly, you survived. But if you cared about Peter, you wouldn’t have gone to a god damn war zone to begin with!” He heard Ben exhale. “Be mad all you want, but May loves that kid. Don’t punish her because we’re a bunch of selfish bastards.” He heard a click and then the call was over. Tony put the phone down and nearly collapsed onto the nearby sofa.

_The only person to blame for what happened to Peter is you._

Ben’s words echoed in his ears. He had been so worried about Peter the whole time he was there, about getting home to Peter, that he hadn’t even considered the obvious; Raza and his men hadn’t killed him because of his weapons. They wanted access to them and they knew he could build them. What kind of person was he that he had built those weapons for so long? All they did was cause misery and destruction. And worse, they had taken him to an unsafe place. He had thought it was such a great idea to present in Afghanistan. How else was he going to truly show the military what the Jericho missile could do? It was just supposed to be an easy work trip. How had he let himself get wrapped up in such a horrible thing?

He clenched his fists. Maybe Ben had somewhat of a point. He hated the man, but he had somewhat a point. Tony was a vulnerable target. When the convoy had been attacked, he could’ve died. He could’ve left Peter orphaned. He couldn’t let that happen. He needed to protect himself and protect his son from anyone with as nefarious as the plans of Raza and his men. 

He needed to make a new suit.

* * *

Peter laid in bed that night. His dad had been down in the workshop for most of the day. His dad had asked him to stay upstairs while he worked. He had come up a few times, to get food or to check in on Peter, but mostly he worked downstairs. Peter had wanted to go into the workshop with his dad and had even considered sneaking down there. But he decided against it.

Pepper spent most of the day at the house. He figured with his dad being home, Pepper still had to do her job. Peter wasn't exactly sure what Pepper's job was, but it seemed like a lot of it involved helping his dad. And clearly, she was very good at it. She had made him lunch at some point, a sandwich with the crusts cut off, and had even watched a movie with him. But Peter spent most of the day playing with his Legos or reading books.

It was strange to the little boy how easily things could go back to normal. How he could go from being sad and missing his dad, to just playing like nothing was wrong. Everything seemed easier now that his dad was home. Peter wasn't as sad; sure, he had a nightmare the first night his dad was home and even had a scary dream the night before (a dream that didn't cause him to cry or shout in his sleep, but definitely made him feel sad when he woke up). But everything was feeling normal. Like it was almost back to the way it should be.

"Peter?" Tony looked into his son's room. It was past Peter's bedtime. Pepper had left an hour ago, having gone down to talk to Tony and assuring Peter that his dad would be up to tuck him in. But then time ticked by and then it was past when Peter should have been in bed. So the six-year-old had gotten himself ready to go to sleep. He wasn't tired though, which was he was lying in bed, with the light one. 

"Hi Daddy," The little boy said sitting up. "You were busy working, so I got myself ready for bed." Tony sighed, internally cursing himself. Pepper had come down to the workshop telling him to stop working and get his son ready for bed. He had fully heard her, but then got distracted by the Mark II and an hour and half passed. He walked in and sat down next to Peter. 

"I'm sorry buddy," Tony said. "I lost track of time." Peter nodded and held his arms out. Tony hugged his son, pulling the little boy closer to him. Peter rested his head on one side of Tony's chest, avoiding bumping his head into the arc reactor. Tony felt guilty for working all day, especially because he had spent the whole day away from Peter. He had missed his son the whole time he was gone. So why had he spent a whole day away from him?

"What were you working on?" Peter asked, gently reaching his finger up and poking the arc reactor. He drew a small circle with his finger, following the shape of the reactor. 

"I had to fix that," Tony said, nodding to the arc reactor. "I needed a much faster one."

"You do like things to be fast," Peter said, with a small smile. Tony chuckled and kissed the top of his head.

"And then I was working on something that's going to keep us both safe," Tony said. Peter looked up at him. Tony ran his hand through his son’s hair. “Maybe I’ll show you someday.” Peter nodded and leaned his full weight against Tony, which wasn’t much. “I’m sorry I was working all day. I love you, bambino.”

“I love you too daddy,” The little boy said, his voice heavy with sleep. Tony continued running his hand through Peter’s hair. He felt guilty that his new suit had kept him busy all day. But tomorrow was a perfect day to make it up to his son.

Tomorrow was Peter’s seventh birthday. And Tony was going to spend the whole day with his son.


	7. Peter's Seventh Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony swung open the door to Peter’s room the next morning. He had a huge grin on his face.
> 
> "Rise and shine my seven-year-old son!” Tony proclaimed walking over to the window.

Tony swung open the door to Peter’s room the next morning. He had a huge grin on his face.

"Rise and shine my seven-year-old son!” Tony proclaimed walking over to the window. He pulled open the shades and let the summer sun flood into the room. Peter sat up slowly in his bed, rubbing his eyes. “There’s the birthday boy.” Tony crossed from the window to the bed in two steps and picked Peter up, his covers getting abandoned on the ground. He lifted the now seven-year-old up high, eliciting a giggle from Peter. He then brought him back down, until Peter’s feet touched the ground.

“You said I was born in the evening,” Peter pointed out. “So I’m not seven yet.” Tony made ‘psh’ sound and ruffled his son’s hair.

“This whole day is your birthday buddy,” Tony said. “And we’re going to spend the whole day together. Starting with your favorite breakfast.” Peter’s eyes went wide and his mouth opened just slightly.

“Chocolate chip pancakes?” He asked and Tony nodded. Peter shouted in excitement and ran out of the room. Tony chased after him, chuckling at his son’s excited yells. Peter, with his shorter legs, reached the kitchen only seconds before Tony and climbed into his seat at the table. Tony placed a plate of pancakes in front of his son. He handed Peter the syrup and watched as Peter opened the bottle and tipped it over. He chuckled, not realizing how much he missed the tell-tale sign of Peter’s focus, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Peter finished coating his pancakes with syrup and put the bottle down. He quickly dug into the pancakes. Tony sat down in the seat closest to his son, a smoothie in clear glass and a mug of coffee in front of him.

“Sir, Ms. Potts is here,” JARVIS said and as Tony heard the door open. He heard the familiar click of Pepper’s heels coming down the hallway. Peter looked up from his plate, mess of syrup and chocolate all over his mouth, just as Pepper came into view. She couldn't help but smile seeing the boy and his messy face.

"Chocolate chip pancakes?" She asked, glancing over at Tony. He nodded, a delighted smirk on his face. She walked over and crouched down, picking up a napkin from the table in the process. She gently wiped the mess off his face, generating a sheepish smile from Peter.

"Thank you!" He said, earning a laugh from Pepper.

"Happy birthday sweetie," Pepper said, planting a kiss on his forehead. Peter opened his arms and Pepper hugged the little boy. Seeing him smiling and giggling after the last three months was more important than Pepper could truly say. She let go of him and let him get back to his breakfast. She stood up and walked over to Tony, who had moved from the table to the kitchen sink.

"So are you here to see Peter or keep an eye on me?" Tony asked, as he washed out the cup that held his breakfast smoothie. Pepper smiled innocently.

"Who says I can't do both?" Pepper asked with a shrug. Tony rolled his eyes but chuckled. "Besides you're keeping a low profile and I'm your PA. If you're not in the office, there's very little reason for me to do be there."

"Very hands on of you Ms. Potts," Tony said with a smirk.

"I did have my hand in that," She made a face, pointing to the arc reactor. "Thing the other day." Tony chuckled, clearly still hearing Pepper's indignant cries over having to fish the old arc reactor out of the metal cavity it sat in. "Definitely went above and beyond my job description.

"Says the person who lived in my house for three months," Tony pointed out.

"That fell into the category of my other job's description." Pepper retorted. Tony fake gasped and put a hand over his heart.

"You have another job?" Pepper rolled her eyes and swatted at Tony's arm. "Did I thank you for that, by the way? For, you know, taking care of Peter during that time." Pepper smiled softly.

"Like I said before," Pepper said. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. He's a great kid." Tony glanced over at Peter, who was finishing up his breakfast.

"The best." Peter scurried over to them, holding up his plate and utensils. Tony took the items and ruffled his son's hair with the other hand.

"What are we going to do now daddy?" Tony just smiled down at his son. He had a lot of plans for the day.

* * *

"Cannonball!" Tony chuckled and Peter jumped into the pool, attempting to make the biggest splash possible. But with his thin and wiry frame, it barely made a splash. Tony sat on the edge of the pool, his feet dangling in the water. Pepper was sitting not too far off, on a deck chair, typing away on her laptop.

 "Nice one buddy," Tony said as Peter swam over to him. Tony was about to say something when he saw Peter's eyes light up.

"Uncle Rhodey!" Peter swam past Tony and put his hands on the edge of the pool. As he tried to pull himself out, Tony glanced behind him. Rhodey was standing in the doorway, dressed casually. He watched Peter, a smirk on his face. Tony noticed that he seemed to be avoiding looking at him. They hadn't spoken since Tony stopped by the Air Force base in California a few days ago. Rhodey hadn't been happy with him them, he wasn't sure how he felt now. Peter, who was wrapped himself in a towel, ran over to Rhodey.

"Hey buddy," Rhodey said crouching down to Peter's height. "I just wanted to stop by to say happy birthday."

"I'd hug you but I just got out of the pool," Peter said. "And daddy always says that as funny as it would be to hug someone when you're soaking wet, it's not nice." Rhodey snorted a little and ruffled Peter's hair.

"Well you'll owe me one." Rhodey said. "I left a present on your bed." Peter smiled widely and looked back at Tony.

"Can I go open it daddy?" Peter asked. Tony nodded and Peter ran off into the house. Tony stood up slowly, removing his feet from the pool. He walked about half the distance to where Rhodey was, so he was out of the summer sun.

"Thanks for stopping by," Tony said, nonchalantly.

"It's my nephew's birthday," Rhodey said. "Of course I'd stop by. I'm flying back to DC today, so it worked out." Tony nodded pursing his lips. "I hope you figure everything out Tones." Tony nodded and then Rhodey headed for the door. Tony sighed and walked over to the chair next to Pepper.

"Everything alright?" Pepper asked, glancing up from her laptop.

"Just peachy," Tony said. "Rhodey hates me because I won't make weapons anymore and the press thinks I'm crazy." Pepper sighed and closed her laptop. "You think I'm crazy too, don't you?"

"I think you've been through a lot," Pepper said. "But I don't think your decision is necessarily wrong. Sudden and impulsive, absolutely. But if those weapons were what caused your capture in the first place, then I understand where your reticence comes from."

"Raza and the Ten Rings wanted me to build them a new Jericho missile," Tony said with a sigh. "That kind of technology can't get into their hands. It's too dangerous. I can't be a part of something like that." He gently placed a hand over the arc reactor, which was covered by the Rolling Stones T-shirt he was wearing. If anyone would understand where his head was at, it would've been Pepper.

"I understand." She smiled gently. "Let's change the subject. What else do you have planned for Peter's birthday?” Tony sighed out of relief.

"I'm so glad you asked.”

* * *

The rest of the day was filled with opening presents for Peter and then playing with everything he had been given. Tony had bought him a Lego set that had over a hundred pieces, in the hopes that it would take his son some time to build. Anything less, Peter could build in about an hour. Tony had bought Peter a lot of new Lego sets and some new clothes. Pepper had bought him a few books and a puzzle. Rhodey had bought a science kit, which Peter was extremely excited about.

"But it has to go in the workshop, daddy!" Peter exclaimed holding the box close to him. He was standing in front of the couch where Tony was sitting. "That's where you do all of your experiments. Now I can do my own experiments!" Tony chuckled.

"Alright bambino," Tony said. "We can put it in the workshop." Peter cheered loudly and put the box down, with the rest of the pile of presents. Peter sat down on the couch. He scooted backwards and sat crossed-legged on the couch. "Movie time?" Peter nodded. "You pick bambino."

"Play Finding Nemo JARVIS!" Peter said excitedly. The movie started to play. Tony wrapped his arm around Peter and Peter scooted closer to his dad. "I had fun today, daddy."

"Good buddy," Tony said, pressing a kiss to his son's hair. "I'm glad." As the movie played, Peter's head slowly moved from the back of the couch to Tony's side. Tony moved his hand from Peter's shoulder and carded it through his son's hair. Yesterday, he had barely spent any time with his son. He hoped that spending his whole birthday with him would make up for that. After being gone for so long, he never wanted his son to feel like he wasn't wanted.

He glanced down at the science kit on the floor. Peter wanted to have it in the workshop. But that was where he was working on his suit. He thought about how long he had to fight with his father to get permission to use his workshop. He exploded about a million things in his own room before, on Maria's screaming alone, Howard relented. But he had spent so many years feeling like he wasn't good enough to work in his dad's workshop. He didn't want his own son to feel that way.

"Hey Petey," Tony said, getting his son's attention. "I want to show you something." He stood up from the couch and headed towards the stairs. "Grab your science kit." Peter nodded and grabbed the box, following after his dad. Peter followed Tony down the stairs, hugging his science kit close to him. Tony punched in the code to the workshop and then pushed the door open, Peter walking under his outstretched arm to enter. Peter looked around the workshop.

The place was kind of a mess. There were scrap parts everywhere. Tony was trying to find the perfect material for his suit. It had to withstand a lot and be able to stabilize flight. It was all a work in progress. Peter walked over to the table where he kept his belongings and put the science kit down.

"What is it you're doing in here daddy?" Peter asked, walking back over to his dad. Tony nodded towards his computer and Peter followed him over.

"JARVIS pull up the specs for the Mark I." The computer came to life and a hologram of his first suit appeared in front of them. Tony sat down in the seat in front of the computer and then picked Peter up so he could sit on his lap.

"What is it daddy?" Peter asked, looking at the hologram in front of him.

"This," Tony began, pointing to the Mark I. "Is how I got out of where the bad men were keeping me. This is how I was able to come home."

"It kind of looks like the big iron guy from that movie we watched," Peter said. Tony chuckled. Looking at the specs now, the Mark I did look like that. Maybe he had done that because his son had been on his mind the whole time. It certainly hadn't been planned. "What does it do?"

"Not much," Tony said. "I didn't have that great of technology to work with."  _Understatement of the year,_ he thought to himself. "But it could fly and shoot things at the bad men."

"Cool!" Peter said, looking at the hologram specs in awe. "But that was when you were away." Tony nodded. "What does that have to do with right now?"

"Well bambino," Tony said. "If you're going to be working on your little science projects down here, then I thought it was only fair you know what I'm working on." Peter turned his head and looked at his dad. "JARVIS, bring up the specs for the Mark II." Peter turned back around to look at it.

"That looks much cooler," Peter said and Tony ruffled his hair. "Is that what you've been working on?" Tony nodded. "You said you were going to do something to keep us safe. Is that it?"

"Yeah buddy, it is." Peter nodded, looking at it. "What do you think?"

"Well what are you going to do with it?" Peter asked. "Keeping us safe is a big thing and Ms. Tate always told us to be as clear as possible when we write." Tony smirked. "So what are you going to with it?"

"I don't really know yet," Tony said. "I have to build it first and make sure it works." Peter nodded seemingly satisfied with the answer. "So that's what I'm doing down here. And you can work on your science kit or your Legos down here, but under one condition." Peter turned around again so he could look at his dad, his brown doe eyes looking back at a matching set. "You can't tell anybody about this. This is a secret project."

"Not even Uncle Rhodey or Pepper?" Peter asked and Tony shook his head.

"Can I trust you buddy?" He knew the answer, but he wanted to get across the Peter how serious he was. Peter looked back at the hologram specs and then back at his dad. He nodded and Tony smiled. He pressed a kiss into his son's curly head.

"It'll be really cool," Peter said. "If you can build it."

"Don't doubt me kid," Tony said. "I built a suit out of scrap metal and garbage. Think what I can do with the right equipment."

"You are the smartest person I know daddy." Peter pointed out and Tony smirked.

"And don't you forget it." He stood up, bringing Peter up with him. "Now, it's time for bed, birthday boy." He was getting big, which was crazy to Tony that his kid was growing so much. But he was still light and easy to carry. Peter squirmed from resting on his dad's hip, until he comfortably holding on to Tony's shoulders, his legs wrapping around his dad's front in a piggyback stance.

"Come on daddy, let's go." Tony chuckled, glancing at his son hanging onto his back. He carried his son, piggyback style up the stairs, Peter growing quieter as they went. By the time he reached his son's room, Peter's head was rested against Tony's shoulder, the boy slowly dipping in and out of sleep. Tony awkwardly reached around and loosened his son's hold on him, before gently depositing the seven-year-old on the bed. Peter, who had been gently dozing in out of sleep, whined when he landed on the bed.

"Daddy," The seven-year-old whined. Tony chuckled and knelt down next to his son's bed. Peter turned his head to face his dad. Tony pulled back the covers and Peter wriggled underneath them. Tony tucked his son in and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight bambino," Tony said, gently running his thumb across Peter's forehead. "I hope you had a great birthday."

"The best," Peter said with a smile. He held his arms up and Tony hugged his son. He then let go and stood up. Peter's eyes were once again heavy with sleep. Tony walked over to the lights, turning them off, and allowing the room to be illuminated by the night-light created stars. Tony stood by the door, leaning against the frame, watching Peter. Peter's eyes had shut before the lights were even off. He watched his son's small frame lift up and down. He smiled to himself before closing the door and heading towards his workshop.


	8. Disappointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hi Uncle Happy!” Peter said, smiling at him. “Where’s my dad?”
> 
> “At home,” Peter frowned a little at that. His dad always picked him up from school, if he was home. And since his dad barely left the house since what had happened, there was no reason he couldn’t have picked Peter up from school. “He was tied up in some work. Told me to grab you and send you down to the workshop when you got home.” Peter’s frowned melted away into a smile.

Peter was in his room, putting his pajamas on. His dad had given him a bath and then asked him to dry off and get dressed without him. His dad had been, once again, working in the workshop all day. His dad spent nearly all of his time in the workshop. After his birthday, Peter spent most of his time with his dad in the workshop. But now he was back at school. He had expected second grade to be not much different from first grade, but was still worried about it. It certainly helped that he had the same teacher. He did really like Ms. Tate, so he was glad she was still his teacher. He had also made a new friend.

Peter hadn't made many friends since Liam hit him with a plastic sword. Most kids were nice to him. but he hadn't found a new best friend. That was, until the first day of second grade. His class had a new student, whose family was from New York. When Peter heard that, he introduced himself immediately.

_"I'm Peter," He said, going up to the new boy at recess. "My aunt lives in Queens, do you know where that is?"_

_"That's where my family used to live!" The other boy said excitedly. "We moved here for my dad's job. I miss my home though." Peter nodded, the other boy talking as fast as he did. "And my name is Ned!"_

_"Do you like Legos, Ned?" The other boy gasped excitedly and by the end of recess, the two boys were already fast friends._

Peter liked his new friend Ned. He knew his new friend was from New York and he just hoped he never moved back. They had already had countless playdates at Ned’s house since the start of the school year. Peter finished putting on his pajamas and ran out of his room. His dad had said that if he changed fast enough, he could come back down for a little before he had to go to bed. He ran through the hallway towards the living room and then stopped dead in his tracks.

Obadiah was sitting on the couch, a pizza box in front of him. He didn't see Peter at first and Peter gulped seeing the older man. He didn't like Obadiah. Something about the bald man scared him; always had. His dad seemed to know that because he never let his business partner be around for Peter for more than a few minutes at a time. But his dad was downstairs. Obadiah looked up and noticed Peter.

"Hey Pete," Obadiah said. Peter just stared at him like a deer headlights. "Do you want some pizza? It's from New York." Peter shook his head quickly. At that moment, Pepper came into the room.

"Peter, what are you doing out here?" Pepper asked. She was holding a few things, including a wrapped box. "Isn't it your bedtime?"

"I still have thirty minutes," He said quietly. He then turned and scurried down the stairs. He heard Pepper call after him and then the clicking of her heels down the stairs. Peter reached the door, followed by Pepper, who huffed at the small boy. She punched in the code for the workshop and Peter ran in and went to his table. He climbed up onto the stool and got back to the Legos he had been building. He could just vaguely hear his dad and Pepper talking. Then there was a loud noise. Peter spun around and saw the piece of armor on his dad's arm was slightly smoking.

"Cool!" Pepper looked at Tony with an exasperated look, but Tony just shrugged. She headed out of the workshop and back upstairs. Peter turned back to his Legos.

"Bambino," Tony had removed the pieces of tech he had been working on and was crossing the room to Peter. "I'm going to go upstairs. Do you want to come with?" Peter shook his head.

"Mr. Stane is there," Peter said, looking down at the floor. Tony sighed and ruffled his son's hair.

"Then you stay put," Tony said. "I'll be right back." Tony left the lab and went up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Peter watched his dad go before turning back to his Legos.

Peter wasn't sure what it was about Obie that scared him. Maybe it was that the older man towered over him. It wasn’t just that he was tall, all adults were taller than him. But Obadiah just seemed to be the biggest person Peter had ever met. And his smile never seemed real. There was something so unrealistic about him, like his smile was hiding something. He scared Peter and Peter didn’t want to be around someone scary. He built his Legos in silence, waiting for his dad to return. Tony finally came back in, holding a slice of pizza. Peter glanced over at him before continuing what he was doing. The lab was eerily quiet. Peter finally got up and walked over to where his dad was.

“Daddy?” Peter asked. Tony was holding a clear case with something inside of it.

“Sorry buddy, got distracted.” Tony said, glancing down at his son.

“What’s that?” Peter asked, pointing to the small rectangular case. Tony chuckled and put it down on the table for Peter to see. It was the arc reactor that had been in his dad’s chest. He knew it had been replaced because the new one felt different than the one that had been there when he got home. It had something written on the bottom. Proof Tony Stark has a heart. Peter tilted his, confused why it said that.

“It’s a joke bambino,” Tony said, noting his confusion. “From Pepper.” Peter nodded, still confused. “How about you show me what you’re building? We’ve got fifteen minutes before you have to go to bed.” Peter smiled and tugged his dad towards his table. He began talking excitedly about the Lego model he was building, Tony smiling the whole time. Eventually, the little boy yawned and Tony ruffled his hair.

“Bedtime?” Peter asked, a little sadness in his voice. Tony nodded. “Okay.” He climbed down from his seat. Tony placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and guided him out of the workshop and up the stairs. He noticed that Peter, who was clearly nervous about going back the living room, relaxed when he saw the room was empty. Once they reached Peter’s room, the seven year old got into his bed. Tony tucked him in, sitting down on the space not taken up by Peter’s body.

“Night bambino,” Tony said, pressing a kiss to Peter’s forehead.

“I’d say good night too but you’re just going back downstairs,” Peter said. Tony chuckled and tickled Peter’s sides, eliciting a loud, squealing giggle from his son.

“You sound like your Uncle Rhodey,” Tony said. “I would hate to have to take away your first sleepover.” Peter was sleeping over his new friends house the next night, which Tony was thrilled with. He was glad his son had a new friend, after the debacle with Liam a few years prior.

“Daddy,” Peter whined, pouting. Tony sighed and kissed his son on the forehead.

“I’d never do that,” Tony said. Peter smiled. “Now get some rest bambino.” Tony got up and went over to the lights.

“Love you,” Peter said as Tony turned off the lights.

“Love you buddy.” Tony said as he closed the door. He left the door open just a crack to make sure Peter was going to sleep. Once he was sure the boy was asleep, he headed back down to his workshop.

* * *

Peter and Ned sat next to each other in school the next day. They were supposed to be practicing their script. But they were both too excited about their sleepover.

“I just got a new Lego set that’s five hundred pieces!” Ned whispered excitedly to Peter, as Ms. Tate walked past them.

“Do you want me to bring any of mine?” Peter asked. “My Uncle Rhodey got me one that’s a big plane and I haven’t built it yet.” Ned smiled and nodded excitedly.

“Boys,” Ms. Tate warned, making eye contact with the two. Ned and Peter giggled and then went back to work. The remaining minutes of the day flew by and then it was time to pack up. Peter stood in line at the door, Ned right behind him.

“My mom also said we can make pizzas for dinner,” Peter spun around and gave Ned a look. “I know, right!” Peter smiled and turned around as Ms. Tate walked the students out of the classroom and out of the building. She stood with the group as parents or nannies came to pick people up. Peter saw Ned’s mom approach.

“See you later Peter!” Ned called before walking away with his mom. Peter walked over to where Ms. Tate was standing while he waited.

“Excited for the weekend Peter?” She asked, smiling down at the small boy. Peter nodded his head vigorously.

“Ned and I are having a sleepover!” He said, smiling at her.

“So that’s what you two were whispering about all day,” Ms. Tate said with a knowing smile and Peter smiled sheepishly. “Well I hope you both have a great time.” She then nodded her head. Peter turned to see Happy approaching. “Have a great weekend!” Peter smiled and jogged over to Happy as fast as his little legs could carry him.

“Hi Uncle Happy!” Peter said, smiling at him. “Where’s my dad?”

“At home,” Peter frowned a little at that. His dad always picked him up from school, if he was home. And since his dad barely left the house since what had happened, there was no reason he couldn’t have picked Peter up from school. “He was tied up in some work. Told me to grab you and send you down to the workshop when you got home.” Peter’s frowned melted away into a smile.

“Well then let’s go!” Peter said, tugging at Happy’s arm. Happy rolled his eyes but allowed the seven-year-old to tug him towards the car. They got to the car and Happy buckled Peter into the booster seat. Peter thought it was babyish to have a booster seat, but his dad insisted. It certainly didn’t help that Peter was one of the smallest kids in his class. Once he was buckled in, Happy closed the backseat door and got into the driver’s seat. Peter kicked his legs back in forth as they drove home. It took, according to his dad, fifteen minutes to get from the school to their house. It felt like forever to Peter, but finally they pulled up to the house.

Peter ran inside, dropping his backpack near the kitchen counter. Pepper, who was normally working in the living room, was nowhere to be seen. Peter could hear Happy coming inside and moved his backpack just slightly, so no one would trip over it. Then he ran down the stairs towards the workshop. When he reached the door, he glanced upwards.

“JARVIS, can you ask my dad to let me in?” He asked, before looking back into the workshop. He realized that he couldn’t see his dad. He frowned, wondering where he could have gone in the time Happy left to pick him up.

“I’m sorry but your father is not in the workshop,” Peter frowned and stood on his tiptoes, to see the full workshop. When he realized his dad really wasn’t there, a sad sound escaped his lips. Hadn’t his dad told him to come down to the lab? His shoulders slumped forward and he headed back upstairs.

“That was quick,” Happy said, from his post in the foyer. Peter looked at him, his eyes full of sadness and Happy frowned. “Sorry kid.” Peter put a hand on his backpack and dragged it towards his room. He sat down on his bed and picked up Platy.

“At least you’re here,” He mumbled to the stuffed animal and hugged it closely to his chest. He felt a few tears bubble up. He buried his face in the stuffed animal, wondering what he did wrong.


	9. Broken Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t need a metal suit to protect me,” Peter said. “I need my dad.”

Tony ran up the stairs, slightly out of breath and a pit in his stomach. The first flight of the Mark II had not been a success and he had been working all night to fix it. He had been so wrapped up in the suit that he had made countless mistakes that day. Happy had to tell JARVIS to tell Tony that it was time to get Peter. And because he was literally covered in armor at that point, he couldn’t leave. So he had to send Happy to pick his son up, which only happened if he was away or working and Peter always knew ahead of time that he wasn’t going to be there. The second mistake, he realized when he got back from a new test and saw the time, was that he had promised his son could come down to the workshop.

“Sir, Peter was requesting entry to the workshop while you were out,” JARVIS said as soon as he returned. Tony cursed loudly as the armor was removed from him. He had promised his son could come down to the workshop and he had let him down once again. It was 4:30 now. His son had been home from school for two hours. Two hours, of Tony promising two things and not following through. He felt sick to his stomach. He barely spoke to Happy as he ran past him and towards Peter’s room. The door was ajar, but Tony knocked anyways.

“Go away.” Tony was taken aback by his son’s response. He pushed the door open. Peter was lying on his bed, is back towards the door. He sat up and faced Tony. His eyes were red with tears and his nose was running.

“Oh bambino,” Tony said, crossing towards the bed. 

“You didn’t pick me up from school,” Peter said.  “And then you told Uncle Happy I could go down to the workshop, but you weren’t there.” Tony stepped closer to the bed and Peter shook his head. “You promised and you broke those promises.”

“I’m sorry bambino.” Peter shook his head again.

“You said when you came home that I was your whole world,” The seven-year-old said bitterly. “But all you do is work on your suit.” Tony knelt down in front of his son who was crying heavily, his words coming out in gasps.

“I know and I’m sorry,” He said quietly. “I’m just trying to protect us.”

“I don’t need a metal suit to protect me,” Peter said. “I need my dad.” Tony collected his son into his arms, hugging the seven-year-old tightly. Peter sobbed into his shoulder, gripping Tony’s shirt with his small fists. Tony just held him as he cried, Peter’s body shaking with tears. It broke his heart to see his son so upset and to know that he caused it. How important could his suit be if this was what it was doing to his son? Finally, Peter stopped crying. He let go of Tony’s shirt and hugged Platy protectively against his chest. Tony brushed a few tears off the boy’s cheeks.

“Can I do anything to make it all better?” Tony asked. Peter shrugged. “I can drive you to your sleepover. And you can spend all day tomorrow in the workshop with me.”

“I don’t want to go down there anymore,” Peter said quietly. Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He should have expected that, but it hurt to hear, all the same.

“Well I’ll drive you to your friend’s house,” Tony said gently. “You grab your stuff and I’ll wait by the door.” Peter nodded. Tony got up and walked out of the room. As he waited in the foyer, he couldn’t help but feel sick. He let his son down. The pain in Peter’s eyes had been because of him. A few minutes later, Peter appeared in the hallway, the backpack Tony had packed with him for his sleepover on his back. Tony offered his son a smile, which Peter did not reciprocate. After loading Peter into the car, the whole ride to Ned’s house was silent. Tony constantly looked at Peter through the rearview mirror, saddened and hurt to see a sad little boy and not his usually exuberant child.

“Here we are,” Tony said, attempting another smile as they got to Ned’s house. It was a small house on the outskirts of Malibu. Tony, from a few conversations with Ned’s mother, got the impression that the Leeds weren’t well-off but did well enough because Ned’s father was willing to travel for work. How else could they afford such a high-quality school? Peter led the way to the door, not looking at his dad or even holding his hand, like he usually would have. Tony rang the doorbell and almost immediately, Ned opened the door.

“Hi Peter!” He said excitedly. “Hi Peter’s dad!” Peter finally smiled, which relieved Tony. Ned’s mom appeared behind Ned.

“Well hello to you two,” She said with a kind grin. She turned to her son. “Ned, do you want to show Peter to the kitchen for making pizzas?” Ned nodded excitedly. Peter glanced up at his dad. Tony smiled and ruffled Peter’s hair.

“I’ll see you tomorrow buddy,” Peter nodded. He was about to go inside, but stopped. He suddenly and rather quickly, hugged his dad’s leg. Tony felt some relief, but it disappeared when Peter ran inside with Ned. Tony sighed.

“His first sleepover?” Mrs. Leeds asked. Tony nodded. “He’ll be fine and I’ll call you if he’s not.”

“Perfect,” Tony said, rubbing his hands together. “I should let you help them with those pizzas. I’ll be back tomorrow around, say, 11?”

“Wonderful,” Mrs. Leeds said. “Have a great evening Mr. Stark.” Tony nodded and headed to his car. He stared at the house for a second before driving off. The guilt was still there. The pain was still there. And that was on him.

He had honestly considered stopping the work on the suits. It was clear that his work was upsetting his son. But then the gala happened. And Christine Everheart, who still hated him for not wanting to sleep with her all those years ago, opened her mouth. And Tony couldn’t just abandon the suit. It was more than just protecting himself and Peter. He needed it to fix his mistakes. And to stop those bastards that had tried to kill him. 

As he blasted through the air, his sights set on stopping those bastards for good, he only hoped that his son could one day learn to forgive him. 

* * *

 

Despite being mad at his dad, Peter enjoyed every second of his sleepover. He and Ned built Legos and watched movies until they both fell asleep at 11 (which Ned thought was super late and Peter didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise). Peter only got sad when they were making pizzas. He was having so much fun and thought about asking his dad if they could do that for dinner. And then he remembered what happened after school and felt sad again. But it went away when Ned started talking about Legos and his favorite candy. All in all, it had been a great sleepover.

Until his dad wasn’t there to pick him up.

Ned’s mother was on the phone a few minutes after eleven, trying to figure out where Peter’s dad was. Peter just sat sadly in the living room, trying not to cry in front of his friend. Ned was building Legos and talking excitedly about how they could hang out more, but Peter wasn’t in the mood to build any Legos. Finally, Pepper showed up. She apologized a lot to Ned’s mom and explained that Peter’s dad was in a meeting. Peter knew that was a lie, but just stayed silent. He didn’t say or do anything until they got into the car. Happy was driving, so Pepper was sitting in the back.

“Where’s my dad?” He asked quietly, looking at Pepper. There were tears already forming. Pepper bit her lip, not sure what to say. The hesitation was enough and the floodgates of Peter’s emotions burst. The tears started falling and Peter openly sobbed. Pepper pulled the boy close to her as he cried, her heart breaking for him. Peter cried the whole way home and continued crying when his dad wasn’t home. He hid in his room, where he could cry alone. It felt like those horrible three months all over again. His dad kept making promises that he was breaking. 

“Oh bambino,” It was hours later when his dad finally came home. Peter hadn’t stopped crying the whole time. He wanted to, but just couldn’t stop the tears.

“You promised!” The little boy yelled at his dad. Peter was sitting on his bed, his eyes red and still full of tears. His vision was obscured by the tears, but he could still see his dad approaching him. When his dad tried to pull him into a hug, Peter pushed his small hands against his dad’s chest. “You promised!” He repeated the words, banging his small fists against his dad’s chest. He did it over and over again, his dad not trying to stop him.

When Peter finally stopped, the seven-year-old collapsed into his dad’s arms and sobbed into his shoulder. He cried and cried, until he was too exhausted to cry anymore. The seven-year-old eventually passed out from exhaustion.

Tony laid his tired-out son on the bed and held him closely, his back against the headboard of his son’s bed. At some point, he realized that Peter wasn’t the only one crying. Tears were spilling out of his own eyes, tears of guilt. He didn’t want to hurt his son. He didn’t want to break his promises. And yet that was exactly what he kept doing. And what was even worse was he couldn’t stop. His weapons were still being sold and he couldn’t allow that to happen. But in his search for justice, he was hurting his own son.

From the moment he first held Peter, he begged whatever higher power there was that he wouldn’t be like his father. And yet here he was, letting his son down and hurting him. And it seemed like there was nothing he could really do to fix it. Because if he wanted to fix the problem that he and Stark Industries created, it meant letting his son down. But if he didn’t fix the problem, then Yinsen would have died in vain. And Yinsen had saved his life and had told him not to waste it. 

“I love you Peter,” He whispered kissing his son’s forehead. “I love you more than anything.” He then got up and tucked his sleeping son in. “I hope you’ll still love me too.” And then he left the room, hoping there was at least one thing he could fix.


	10. An Honest Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why is it so important?” The seven-year-old asked. Tony sighed. It was certainly a complicated question; why was this suit so important to him? “And don’t tell me it’s an adult question.”

Peter woke up groggy the next day. The seven-year-old was confused for a second as he woke up, before he remembered everything. He hugged Platy close to him, begging himself to not cry again. He put the stuffed animal down and left his room. When he reached the living room, he saw Pepper leaving, a nervous look on her face. She was so focused on whatever was bothering her, that she didn’t even notice Peter. Peter looked around before his eyes fell on the stairs. He dragged his feet towards the stairs, contemplating going down to the workshop. His brain said yes, but his heart said no.

His brain won that battle. 

He walked down the stairs, ready to ask JARVIS about letting his dad know that he wanted to enter the workshop. But he didn’t have to. The glass doors were gone, shattered glass and empty space in their place.

“Careful buddy,” Peter looked up from the shards of glass to see his dad, surrounded by a circular desk covered in computers and other forms of tech.

“Can I come in?” Peter asked, staring at the shards of glass in his way. He wasn’t wearing shoes, so entering the workshop was a little difficult. Tony looked up at his son, surprised by the request. He then walked over and picked Peter up, hoisting him over the glass. Once they were beyond the glass, Tony put Peter down and walked back over to where the suit was. He sat down in the chair. Peter saw the suit and stared at it. 

It looked exactly like the specs his dad has showed him weeks ago. It was only the top half of the suit and it was red with gold accents. If Peter wasn’t so upset with his dad, he would have thought it was cool. He slowly approached the workstation. Tony watched his son, wondering what the seven-year-old was going to do. His son had been so upset at him the other day. Peter stared at the suit before turning to his dad.

“Where’s the other half?” Tony felt almost relief at his son’s question. It wasn’t full of anger or sadness; it was curious, just like his son.

“Needs a tune-up,” Tony said. Peter nodded. He looked around the space before walking over to where his dad was sitting. He used the handles of the seat to pull himself up to sit on Tony’s lap. Once he was comfortably seated, Tony pushed some of Peter’s curly hair off his face. “I’m sorry buddy.” Peter looked up at his dad, a sad look on his face.

“Why is it so important?” The seven-year-old asked. Tony sighed. It was certainly a complicated question; why was this suit so important to him? “And don’t tell me it’s an adult question.” 

“I won’t,” Tony said. “Things happened, buddy, that changed how I saw everything. I did a lot of things and made a lot of things that weren’t right and hurt people. I’m just trying to make that all better. I made a mess and I have to clean it up.”

“And that’s going to make it better,” Peter asked, glancing over at the suit.

“That’s what I’m hoping,” Tony said. He sighed and Peter leaned his head against his dad’s shoulder. “But I don’t want to hurt you in the process Peter, especially as you’re growing and getting so big.”

“I’m the smallest kid in my class,” Peter said.

“But you’re growing up to me,” Tony said. “I still remember the day you were born like it was yesterday.” Peter looked up at his dad with the same big brown eyes that Tony cooed over when his son was born. “I just want to keep you safe and stop the bad people who tried to hurt me.” Peter was quiet for a second, simply staring up at his dad. Then he spoke. 

“Ned showed me these comics he loves,” Peter said. “About this superhero who wanted to stop bad people too. Ned called him ‘Captain America’.” Tony fought back an eye roll, knowing far too well about Captain America. “Ned and his dad said he was a hero because of that. Does that suit make you a hero?” Tony looked at the suit. Growing up, hearing stories of Captain America, Tony loathed the ‘star-spangled man’ because his father thought he was so great while Tony couldn’t even get Howard to notice him. He didn’t want to be compared to that.

“I don’t think so buddy,” Tony said. “I’m just trying to fix my mistakes before anyone else gets hurts.” Peter looked at the suit again, before looking at his dad.

“Well you’re my hero,” Peter said, before wrapping his arms around his dad’s midsection and hugging him. Tony felt his eyes tear up. He pressed a kiss into his son’s hair.

“That’s all I can ask for,” Tony said, running hang through his son’s curly, brown hair. “I love you, bambino.”

“I love you too,” Peter said, smiling up at his dad. And for the first time in two days, Tony didn’t feel like a mess. There were still a million problems outside of that house that he needed to resolve. But sitting there, in the workshop with Peter, things felt like they were going to be okay.

Oh, how wrong he had been.


	11. Mistakes to Fix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He waited for his dad to come back down to tell him his decision. But minutes passed and his dad still didn’t come back downstairs. He didn’t want to go upstairs, because he didn’t want to go near Obadiah. So, he just waited. And waited. And waited. And the longer he waited, the more worried he got.

A few days later, Tony was working in the workshop, still trying to patch up his suit. Peter sat at his usual spot, working on homework. Tony would glance up occasionally at his son, who was working on cursive letters. His tongue jutted out of the corner of lips as he focused on writing his name in script.

“Why is the letter s so hard?” The little boy said, pouting. Tony chuckled and walked over to his son. He looked down at the paper. Peter Stark was written on the paper a few times, the letter s looking strange each time he wrote it. One version of the name caught Tony’s attention; he had written his full name. Peter Benjamin Stark. Tony had never realized the implication of that middle name until he had met Ben Parker. Mary had asked him to use that name as his middle name and Tony didn’t have an issue with it, until he met Ben.

It had been months since his argument with Ben and even longer since Peter had seen Ben and May. Part of him felt guilty; he had made a promise to Mary and he wasn’t holding up that promise. But Ben was always rude to him and said such horrible things about him that Peter had heard. But the Parker’s couldn’t have children and he knew having Peter in their life, even minimally meant a lot to them.

“Hey buddy,” Tony said. “When I get some free time, do you want to take a trip to New York?” Peter looked up at his dad.

“To see Aunt May and Uncle Ben?” Peter asked. Tony nodded. “I don’t know.”

“I know your uncle Ben said some scary things when I was gone,” Tony said. Peter put his pencil down and turned his chair towards Tony. “But everyone was upset and adults say bad things when they’re upset.”

“I do miss them,” Peter said quietly. “But Uncle Ben said you weren’t coming home and that made me sad.” Tony sighed and ruffled his son’s hair. Before he could say anything else, JARVIS’s voice chimed in.

“Sir, Obadiah Stane is at the front door,” Tony sighed.

“You think about it buddy,” Tony said. “I’m going to go upstairs for a little bit. You stay here.” Peter nodded. “Jar, tell Mr. Stane that I will be up in a second.” He ruffled his son’s hair and then headed out of the workshop and up the stairs.

Peter looked at his paper, contemplating getting back to work. He thought about what his dad said. He did miss his aunt and uncle; probably his aunt more so. Peter didn’t know what it was like to have a mom, but he always felt that between May and Pepper, he kind of had a good idea of what it would be like. And as mad as he had been at his uncle, his uncle had also been wrong. His dad had come home. Maybe he was a little too focused on the suit, but he had come home and that was all that mattered to Peter. Besides, he could ask Ned for fun things to do in Queens, since his best friend was from there.

He waited for his dad to come back down to tell him his decision. But minutes passed and his dad still didn’t come back downstairs. He didn’t want to go upstairs, because he didn’t want to go near Obadiah. So, he just waited. And waited. And waited. And the longer he waited, the more worried he got.

Suddenly, there was a crash from the other side of the workshop. Peter jumped out of his seat, already too worried for his little seven-year-old body. He heard another crash and ran towards it. When he spotted his dad collapsed on the floor, pale and sickly looking, Peter let out a shout.

“Daddy!” He shouted. Tony looked up at his son, desperation in his eyes. Without the arc reactor, he could feel his body failing, the shrapnel moving closer and closer to his heart. He tried to pull himself towards the table where the glass case Pepper had given him sat. He couldn’t speak and certainly couldn’t calm his son down, who was starting to cry. He collapsed against the table, unable to reach the case. Peter nearly tripped over himself, trying to get to where his dad was.

“Daddy!” He cried again. He could see the empty space in his chest where the arc reactor belonged. Where had it gone? Who would want to hurt his dad? He could hear his dad just barely gasping for air. He glanced around the room and saw his dad’s bot, whirring around. “DUM-E! Do something!” And then the bot whirred to life and picked something up, depositing it into Tony’s hand. Peter saw it was the gift from Pepper.

“Good boy,” Tony managed to get out, in the direction of the bot. He then smashed the case on the ground, away from where Peter was sitting. The item inside was free from it and Tony jammed it into the empty cylinder in his chest. And Peter watched desperately, tears falling from his eyes.

“Daddy,” He cried. “Don’t leave me daddy.” His dad slowly raised an arm and gripped onto Peter’s shirt, trying to pull the boy closer. Peter collapsed into his dad, pulling himself as close to his dad as possible. Peter pressed his head against his dad’s chest, his tears soaking into Tony’s shirt. As the minutes passed, Tony’s arms slowly moved until they were wrapped securely around his son. As Tony’s heartbeat grew stronger, Peter’s tears started to slow down.

“I’m sorry,” Tony said, finally able to speak. “For scaring you.” Peter stayed close to his dad, the sound of his growing heartbeat calming the seven-year-old down.

“Tony!” They heard footsteps and Rhodey’s voice. Rhodey appeared in the workshop seconds later. He ran over to them. He helped the father and son up, Peter still clinging desperately to his dad. Tony wasn’t strong enough to hold his son up as he gripped until Rhodey’s leather jacket. Peter stood next to his dad, clinging on to his leg.

“Are you alright?” Rhodey asked, looking back and forth between the two. He could see how pale and sickly Tony looked.

“Where’s Pepper?” Tony asked as he used Rhodey to balance.

“She’s fine,” Rhodey assured him. “She and five agents are on their way to arrest Obadiah.” Peter looked back and forth between his dad and Uncle, not sure what was going on. Had Obadiah hurt his dad? Did he take the piece that was keeping his dad alive?

“That’s not going to be enough.” Tony said. He let go of Rhodey, feeling his strength coming back to him. He glanced down at Peter, who was still clinging to his leg. “I’ve got some mistakes to fix.” Peter nodded and slowly unwound himself from his dad’s leg. “JARVIS, prepare the suit.” He moved towards where the platform in the workshop was. Rhodey glanced at Peter, who took Rhodey’s arm and pulled him towards the platform. Rhodey watched in awe as the suit was placed on to Tony’ piece by piece.

“That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Rhodey said, watching as the suit finished being placed on Tony.

“Not bad, huh?” Tony said. He glanced at Peter, who nodded his head. “Keep an eye on Peter.”

“Need me to do anything else?” Rhodey asked, placing a hand on his godson’s shoulder. The mask came down over Tony’s face. Staring at the suit, fully put together, it looked amazing in Peter’s eyes.

“Keep the skies clear.” And then, he took off, flying in to the air.

“Wow,” Peter said, watching him disappear into the sky.

“Damn,” Rhodey muttered. He glanced down at Peter. “No chance of you sleeping tonight, huh?” Peter shook his head. “Come on then, I’ve got some phone calls to make.” And he led Peter upstairs, hoping Tony was going to be okay.

* * *

Rhodey kept both of his promises, keeping jets out of the sky and keeping an eye on Peter. Peter sat anxiously on the couch, waiting for his dad to come home. His dad was going to come home. He was going to stop Obadiah and make him pay for hurting him. He was going to fix everything. Eventually, because he was small and exhausted, he fell asleep on the couch, using Rhodey’s arm as a pillow.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Tony came up the stairs of the workshop, Pepper following behind him. He had a few cuts on his face and looked exhausted, but seemed fine regardless.

“You look like crap,” Rhodey said, slowly moving as to not wake Peter. He walked over to Tony and Pepper.

“Almost dying twice in one night will do that to you,” Tony said with a smirk. Rhodey rolled his eyes and hugged his best friend. When Tony pulled away, he noticed his son asleep on the couch. He smiled, relief flooding through him. “Rhodey, will you make sure Pepper gets home safe?” Rhodey nodded and clapped Tony on the shoulder. He headed towards the door. Tony looked over at Pepper, gladder than ever that he had someone as fiercely loyal as Pepper Potts in his life. She smiled a little. “Thank you for your help.” Pepper nodded and gently touched his arm as she walked past towards the door.

When they were both gone, Tony breathed out a sigh of relief, exhaustion flooding through him. He walked over to the couch, where his son was sleeping peacefully. He leaned down and scooped his son up, grateful for his kid’s small frame and light weight.

“Daddy?” Peter asked sleepily, his head finding familiar territory in Tony’s shoulder.

“It’s me buddy,” Tony said, pressing a kiss into his son’s hair. “I’m back.” He carried his son down the hallway towards his room.

“Did you stop mean Mr. Stane?” Peter asked and if Tony wasn’t so exhausted, he could have laughed at how his son described the man.

“Yeah, I did,” Tony said. “He won’t be bothering us anymore.”

“Good,” Peter said. Tony reached his room and placed Peter down on the bed. Peter looked around sleepily.

“This isn’t my room,” He said, adorably confused.

“Nope,” Tony said, lying down on the bed. “I hope you don’t mind.” The seven-year-old shrugged and laid down next to Tony, snuggling close to his chest. Tony wrapped his arm around his son, the other hand gently running through his son’s hair.

“I’m glad you stopped him,” The little boy said, his voice already heavy with sleep again. “And I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” Tony said. And as both father and son drifted to sleep, Tony finally felt like things were going to get better. And even if they weren’t, at least he had Peter.

* * *

The next day, Tony sat in Stark Industries as Pepper covered the cuts on his face with makeup. The agent who Pepper seemed to trust, Coulson, Tony seemed to believe his name was, had asked Tony to hold a press conference to deal with what had happened. Tony was reading a newspaper, a picture of his suit on the front page. Peter was standing next to him, trying to read what his dad was reading.

“Iron Man huh?” Tony asked, glancing up from the article at Pepper. “Kind of cool, though not entirely accurate.”

“But it’s not made of iron,” Peter said. “You told me it was made of something else.”

“Titanium alloy,” Tony said. “And it has a nice ring to it.” Pepper rolled her eyes and stepped away, admiring her work. She saw Agent Coulson approaching and gently guided Peter away.

“What’s the man in the suit telling my dad?” Peter asked, as Pepper placed the foundation and sponge down.

“Just going over some important notes,” Pepper said. “Your dad wants you to stay back here with me during the press conference, okay?” Peter crossed his arms and frowned at Pepper. “Your dad’s instructions and I am more than happy to follow them.” Peter stuck his tongue out at Pepper and she chuckled lightly and playfully tousled the boy’s hair. “Besides, you always tell me you don’t like all the bright flashes from the cameras.”

“Fine,” He grumbled, letting his arms drop to his sides. He saw his dad walking over. “Pepper says you want me to stay back here.”

“That is true,” Tony said. “Because nosy reporters will want to take pictures of you and bother you and I don’t want that. And I’ll buy you ice cream later if you’re good for Pepper.”

“I’m always good for Pepper,” Peter pointed out and Tony chuckled. Pepper rolled her eyes at their interaction.

“Mr. Stark,” Agent Coulson said, getting his attention. “It’s time. And stick to the cards.” Tony looked down at Peter and a made a silly face and Peter giggled. He then headed out of the room and into the conference room. Agent Coulson changed the channel to one of the many stations broadcasting the conference. Peter moved towards the TV to watch, Pepper standing in between Peter and Agent Coulson. Pepper glanced at the man next to her, wondering if Tony was going to stick to what he wanted. She then glanced at Peter, who had a smile on his face as he watched his dad on the TV.

And then Tony uttered those four words. She expected some sort of reaction from the agent next to her. But he just shook his head and left the room, a phone to his ear as he left.

“He’s weird,” Peter said to Pepper. Pepper just shook her head, watching the TV. Tony wasn’t on the screen anymore. Instead, he was walking through the door.

“You’re an idiot,” She said to Tony. Tony shrugged.

“Maybe,” He said. “Care to join us for ice cream?” Pepper looked at his with an exasperated look on her face. “Worry about this tomorrow.”

“You are impossible sometimes,” Pepper said, with a shake of her head.

“Only sometimes?” Tony asked with a smirk. He glanced down at Peter. “I thought she was going to say all the time.” Peter giggled. “No ice cream then? Then I will see you tomorrow Ms. Potts.” He smirked and guided Peter out of the building and to his car. He threw the keys to Happy, letting him do the driving. Tony sat in the back with Peter.

“So now everyone knows about your suit?” Peter asked and Tony nodded. “So, you’re kind of superhero now.”

“Like your friends’ comic book?” Peter shook his head.

“Better,” Peter said with a smile. And Tony smiled back at his son. He might have just opened the doors to a whole host of other issues and Pepper and Rhodey were probably going to kill him. But for now, everything felt okay.


	12. Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There are so many other things we need to focus on,” Pepper said as she followed Tony on to the private jet. “Rebranding your company, dealing with this PR nightmare, dealing with the government. You don’t have time for a vacation!”

The world was still in shock over Tony Stark’s announcement. He was Iron Man. There were a lot of questions as to what that even meant. Rhodey was trying to negotiate it’s meaning between Tony and the military, as he was the best person to act as liaison between his crazy best friend and the government. Every news outlet ever wanted an interview with Tony, regarding what caused him to become Iron Man. And Pepper said no to every single one. Tony was glad; he didn’t need to explain himself to any of them, especially when they were calling his abilities as a dad into question.

Yes, wearing that suit was dangerous. But he made it to protect himself and his son. And after the betrayal he had faced, he stood by it.

“There are so many other things we need to focus on,” Pepper said as she followed Tony on to the private jet. “Rebranding your company, dealing with this PR nightmare, dealing with the government. You don’t have time for a vacation!” Tony turned around to face his exasperated PA.

“We already talked about all of those things,” Tony said. “And I promised my son.” Peter was sitting on the plane, reading a book. He glanced up when he heard his name and waved at Pepper. “Now are you joining us on this trip to New York?”

“You couldn’t last five minutes without me,” Pepper pointed out.

“Debatable,” Tony said. “And I take that as a yes?” Pepper huffed in response. “Great!” He then walked over and sat down next to his son. Peter glanced up and saw Pepper rubbing the side of her head.

“Is Pepper mad at you?” Peter asked and Tony snorted.

“Probably,” Tony said. “But you want to go to New York to see your aunt and uncle and I have a private jet.” Peter smiled and closed his book.

“Do they know we’re coming?” Tony nodded. He had called May the other day. She had sounded shocked to hear from him again. He apologized for upsetting her and then told her that Peter wanted to see them. That was enough for May. She had agreed to it immediately and to Tony that meant she missed Peter. So he had set it up for when Peter had a long weekend.

“Your aunt is very excited to see you,” Tony said. “And I bet she’ll take you to all those places that your friend told you about. What were they again?” Peter began babbling excited about all the things Ned had told him about in Queens. Tony smiled and nodded as Peter spoke. The plane began to take off and Peter didn’t seem to notice, excitedly talking the whole time.

* * *

Peter lead the way up the familiar steps, Tony following behind him. Peter finally reached the floor and made his way down the hall to May and Ben’s apartment. When he reached the door, he waited for Tony to catch up to him. Once his dad was right behind him, Peter reached his arm up and knocked on the door. The door opened quickly, revealing May Parker.

“Hi sweetie,” She said, her eyes already brimmed with tears. “It’s so good to see you.” She crouched down and Peter threw his arms around her neck. May wrapped her arms around Peter’s midsection and hugged him tightly, almost as if she was making up for lost time. Finally, she pulled away, wiping at her eyes. “I’m being so rude, come in both of you.” She walked back into the apartment and Peter and Tony followed. Tony closed the door behind him and scanned the small Queens apartment. Tony spotted Ben, leaning against the kitchen counter. His arms were crossed over his chest. Peter spotted him as well.

“Hi Uncle Ben,” He said quietly. Ben pushed himself off the counter and walked over to Peter. He squatted down so he was at Peter’s eye-level.

“Hey kiddo,” He said. “I think I owe you an apology from the last time I saw you.”

“You were upset, everybody was,” Peter said.

“Doesn’t make it right,” Ben said. “So I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

“I forgive you,” Peter said simply. Tony smiled proudly at his son. “And I should apologize too. I threw that stuffed animal that you won for me out a window.” Ben chuckled and ruffled Peter’s hair.

“Probably deserved that,” Ben said. “Now I know we missed your birthday a while back, but I think your aunt has something for you.” Peter looked over at May, who smiled. She pointed to the living room table and Peter ran over to it. May sat on the couch with him as he opened a few presents. Tony watched from near the door.

“Stark,” Ben said as he approached him.

“Mr. Parker,” Tony said, placing his hands in his suit pockets.

“So Iron Man, huh?” Ben asked. “Didn’t take you for the justice type.” Tony rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You sure that’s wise with, you know, a son?”

“I think,” Tony began, glancing over at Ben. “That you of all people would understand my need to protect the people around me, no matter the cost.” Ben pursed his lips. As he had been a cop for twenty years, he knew Tony had a point. 

“Still doesn’t mean I like you,” Ben said. Tony glanced over at Peter who was excitedly talking to May.

“Makes two of us,” Tony said. “But I think we can both agree that it’s best if we are all in Peter’s life.” Ben nodded and for the first time, Tony realized, they were in agreement about something. There was an odd sincerity to that moment. He then walked over to the couch, where Peter was.

“Dad look!” Peter said, excitedly holding up a book. “Aunt May got me the first book in the Harry Potter series! Ms. Tate has been suggesting I read that for months!” Tony smiled.

“Very cool buddy,” Tony said with a proud smile. “I think it’s time I let you do some of those fun things with your aunt and uncle, okay?” Peter nodded. “I’ll be back by dinner time.” Peter got off the couch and went around it, to give his dad a hug.

“Don’t make Pepper too crazy dad,” Tony chuckled and kissed the top of his son’s head.

“I’ll see you later Pete,” He then looked over at May. “I’ll be back around 5?” May nodded. He then smiled down at Peter before leaving. As he walked down the stairs, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm. It was heartwarming to see Peter with May, because he knew there was genuine affection from both of them. And it was strangely nice to almost get along with Ben for once. In a weird way, he wondered if the cop respected him for being Iron Man. Or maybe Ben just didn’t want to push his luck. Either way, Tony was happy that everyone else was happy.

* * *

While Peter had, what Tony assumed, was a fun day of sightseeing in Queens, Tony spent most of his day being scolded by Pepper in person and Rhodey over the phone regarding the Iron Man issue. He pretended to listen, while finding other things to do, like research newer and more efficient ideas for the suit.

“ _ You can’t just be irresponsible with the suit Tones, _ ” Rhodey said. The phone was on speaker and sat on the table in the hotel room. Tony rolled his eyes, something Pepper noticed.

“I am not going to be,” Tony said. “This technology, if used properly, could be the future of a lot of things and certainly the future of Stark Industries.”

“I thought you weren’t making weapons anymore,” Pepper pointed out. Tony put his tablet down and sighed. He tapped the arc reactor on his chest.

“This can do a lot of things,” He said. “I want to use the resources at Stark Industries to focus on the arc reactor technology for good. Clean, efficient energy. And the suits, the possibilities are endless.”

“ _ Tones the government is going to want to deal with the implications of the Iron Man technology _ ,” He heard Rhodey sigh. “ _ Sooner or later, you’re going to have to deal with this _ .”

“I choose later,” Tony said. “Unless there is an imminent threat, Iron Man is nothing to worry about. Now, I have to go pick up my son.” He then ended the call.

“He’s right you know,” Pepper said as Tony stood up and gathered his phone and wallet.

“And who’s side are you on Ms. Potts?” He asked. Pepper gave him a look. “I know, but until then, let’s focus on the now, which is me picking up Peter. Care to join me?” Pepper rolled her eyes, but grabbed her things.

“You’re lucky I love that little boy,” She said, leading the way out of the hotel suite.

“It’s why I made you his godmother,” Tony said as they headed towards the parking lot. He got into the backseat of the car, Pepper choosing to sit across from him for the ride there. She went over his list of meetings for when he returned from New York during the drive and Tony listened half-heartedly, nodding when appropriate. When they reached the apartment building and Happy stopped, Tony got out of the car and headed inside.

“Hi dad!” Peter said, when May let him into the apartment. Tony smiled upon seeing his son. “We saw so many cool things today!”

“You’ll have to thank your friend for such a great list,” May said, before leaning down and hugging Peter. “And we both had such a wonderful day with you.” Peter smiled and hugged her back.

“If you two come back out before the end of the baseball season,” Ben said, walking over. “Maybe we can go to a game, Pete.”

“But you said your team was bad,” Peter said.

“But baseball is fun,” Ben said. “And the Mets were having a good season last year, so who knows.” Tony fought back a snort as Peter made his way over to him. “You be good kiddo.”

“Always!” Peter said with a smile. He waved to the two of them and then Tony steered Peter out of the apartment. The headed downstairs and into the crisp spring air. “Dad?” Peter stopped in front of the apartment and looked up at the building. “I’m glad we came to Queens.” Tony smiled and ruffled his son’s hair.

“Me too buddy.” Peter smiled back. “Now come on, Pepper and Happy are waiting to get dinner.” Peter smiled wider and raced towards the car. Tony looked up at the apartment, glad that everything worked out. Then he followed after his son, the smile still on his face.


	13. School Conferences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony adjusted his tie as he sat in the car. Peter was sitting next to him, happily humming to himself. Today was the last conference of the school year. Peter’s school gave the students the day off in June so the teachers could meet with parents regarding the students’ progress. The school also encouraged the children to be present, which was why Peter was in the car with Tony. It was a nice distraction from everything else that was going on.

Tony adjusted his tie as he sat in the car. Peter was sitting next to him, happily humming to himself. Today was the last conference of the school year. Peter’s school gave the students the day off in June so the teachers could meet with parents regarding the students’ progress. The school also encouraged the children to be present, which was why Peter was in the car with Tony. It was a nice distraction from everything else that was going on.

Rhodey was hounding Tony about the uses of the Iron Man technology. The government wanted an answer and Tony was being cagey. He didn’t want anyone get their hands on what he had created. He had learned that there weren’t many he could trust, especially when it came to the technology behind his suit. He knew at some point he was going to have to face the music, but he was holding it off for as long as he could.

“We’re here!” Peter said, pointing to his school. Tony chuckled as Happy pulled into a parking spot. Tony got out of the car, Peter following him out.

“Is Ms. Tate going to have good things to say?” Tony asked with a slight smirk as he and his son approached the school. Peter nodded happily. “That’s my boy.” As they entered the building, Tony tried to ignore the people staring. If people were nosy about his life before, announcing himself as Iron Man certainly increased their nosiness tenfold. Tony himself didn’t mind, he kind of loved the attention. But when his son was with him, he wanted people to back off. Christine Everheart, Tony’s least favorite reporter certainly had a lot of say about him being Iron Man, especially when it came to him being a father. Tony sighed and just steered Peter away from the nosy gazes. He led him down the hall towards Ms. Tate’s room. As they entered, they could see the room was full of parents and children. Parents were milling about the room, looking at various work on the walls. There were children all over the room, playing with each other or sitting at their desk.

“Dad,” Peter said, tapping the arm on his shoulder. “Can I go talk to Ned?” He pointed to his friend, who was sitting at his desk, drawing.

“Yeah go ahead buddy.” Peter smiled and ran over to his best friend. Tony smiled as he watched the two talk, both excitedly sharing information with each other.

“Mr. Stark,” He turned to see Ms. Tate approaching him. He smiled at the petite brunette. “Thank you for coming. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to make it.”

“Not even Iron Man can get in the way of Parent Teacher conferences,” He said with a smirk. Ms. Tate nodded, a slight purse in her lips. “I thought that joke would’ve done better.”

“It’s not my place to say,” She started with a sigh. “But I just hope that your extracurricular activities don’t affect Peter.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “What I mean is, the kids in this class are young and don’t really hear much going on in the world. But as they get older, they start to hear and know more and that influences them in both a positive and negative way.”

“I see,” Tony said, tucking his hands into his pocket. “Well my son is not someone who would brag about his life.”

“It’s not Peter I would be worried about,” She said with a soft sigh, glancing over at the boy in question. “He’s a wonderful child. It’s the thoughts of others. A sweet boy like that, I would be worried about what others were saying that impacted him. But I apologize if I’m overstepping. As much as I have loved teaching him these last two years, I won’t be his teacher anymore.” Tony nodded.

“I appreciate your kindness to my son.” Ms. Tate nodded and walked away. Tony turned his gaze on his son, who was now coloring on a piece of paper, every so often stopping to talk to Ned. His teacher did have a point. Tony could hide his son from the nosy eyes and opinions of adults and the media. Peter was inquisitive, but he only talked to adults he knew. But he couldn’t protect his son from what other children thought. What did other kids think of Iron Man? Would they tease Peter for what he was doing? Or would they want to use him because of who Tony was?

When he was younger, not many people knew who his dad was. Howard Stark was famous, but to the science and research world. Kids didn’t care that his dad made things that revolutionized war as they knew it. It was never something he had to worry about. Then again, by the time Tony was a teenager he didn’t give a damn what people thought of his father because he didn’t give a damn about his father.

But his son was different. Sometimes Tony wondered how he, a overly confident playboy, had created and raised a child who was so sweet. Peter was the happiest kid around. Even with everything he had gone through with Tony disappearing and almost dying in front of Peter, his kid went through life with a smile on his face. He only hoped that no matter what, nothing every dulled that smile.

“Dad!” He looked down to see Peter in front of him. “Come see what I drew.” Peter tugged on Tony’s arm, garnering a smile from him. He followed his son towards his desk, pushing his previous thoughts out of his mind.

* * *

As Parent Teacher conferences were winding down, Tony couldn’t help but notice that Ned’s mother kept glancing over at him. Mrs. Leeds seemed like a lovely woman; she was always willing to have Peter over to have a playdate or a sleepover with Ned. She never asked for Tony to allow Ned over to his home, but then again he hadn’t offered. Now that he was Iron Man, that was a risk he couldn’t take. After a while, Tony caught the woman’s eye. She sighed and walked over to him.

“Mr. Stark,” She said with a polite smile.

“It seems there is something you want to discuss with me,” Tony said, glancing at the woman over his sunglasses. “Nothing bad I hope.” She sighed. Based on her sighing and body language it wasn’t good. Did it have to do with Peter? Did it have to do with him?

“I’m sure you know that my husband often travels for work,” Ned’s mother began. “New York is our home, but we moved here because of my husband’s job. Well his central office wants him to work in New York again.” Tony glanced over at Peter and Ned, a realization dawning on him.

“You’re moving,” Tony said and she nodded. He watched the two boys laugh with each other as they played at their desks. Tony felt a sudden sadness for his son.

“We’re telling Ned tonight,” She said with a sad sigh. “But I know how important his friendship with Peter has been. I was hoping you could tell your son as well.”

“I can do that,” Tony said. “Thank you for letting me know.” She nodded.

“And if you’re both ever in New York,” She said with a smile. “I’d be happy to set up a playdate for Peter and Ned.” Tony nodded and she walked over to the boys. Ned and his mother left the classroom, Ned waving to Peter as they went. Peter ran over to his dad.

“Ready to go buddy?” Peter nodded. Tony smiled and guided him out of the room, the whole time wondering how to break to his son that his best friend was moving away.

* * *

Tony sat on the couch later that evening. He hadn’t broken the new to Peter yet. His son was sitting next to him, watching the movie on the screen. He didn’t know how to tell Peter that his best friend was moving away. All he knew was that it was going to crush Peter.

“Dad?” Tony glanced over at Peter. “The movie’s over.” Tony looked at the screen, seeing the credits roll.

“So it is,” Tony said. He was so focused that he didn’t even realize it. “JARVIS, turn the TV off.” The TV clicked off, the light no longer illuminating the room. Tony sighed.

“Why are you so mopey?” Peter asked. “You’ve been making these weird faces since we left my school.”

“Have not,” Tony said, sticking his tongue out at his son. Peter giggled. “How about we go get you ready for bed.”

“You always avoid answering my questions when something’s bothering you,” Peter said getting off the couch and walking towards his room, his dad following behind him.

“Sometimes you’re too smart your own good kid,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair. They reached his room. Tony sat down on Peter’s bed. “Come here, bambino.” Peter sat down next to him.

“Is everything okay dad?” Peter asked and Tony sighed. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Well buddy I have some bad news,” Tony said. “Ned’s mom told me that Ned and his family have to move back to New York.” Peter’s lip quivered a little.

“Oh.” His voice was soft and full of sadness. “So Ned is leaving?” Tony nodded. Peter sniffled and leaned his head against his dad’s arm. “I was scared this was going to happen. He said they moved here for his dad’s job.” Tony looked down at Peter and saw he was crying.

“I’m sorry bambino,” Tony said wrapping his arm around Peter.

“I don’t want to lose my friend,” Peter said, before burying his face in his dad’s side. Tony could hear little cries coming from Peter. He squeezed Peter tightly and kissed his son’s head.

“You’re not going to lose him buddy,” Tony said. “Besides, we have a reason to go to New York a lot more.” Peter looked up at Tony, his eyes red with tears.

“Really?” Tony smiled and scooped Peter up so he was sitting on his lap.

“That’s the thing about owning your own jet,” Tony said. “You can take it anywhere and at anytime.” He tickled Peter’s sides and got a small giggle out of his son. Peter then hugged Tony, his head falling right underneath the arc reactor. “And you can have as many playdates and sleepovers with Ned until he leaves. As long as it’s okay with his parents.”

“Thanks dad,” Peter said, snuggling closer to his dad. “I love you.”

“Crazy thing buddy,” Tony began. “Is that I love you too.” He stood up, hoisting Peter up with him and spun him around. Peter giggled loudly, causing Tony to smile. He then placed Peter down so his feet were touching the floor. “Now little man, it’s time for bed.”

“It’s your fault I’m little,” Peter said, sticking his tongue out at Tony. “I’m half your DNA.” Tony fake gasped.

“Only my son could make a comment like that,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair. “Now it’s bedtime ‘o spawn of mine.” Peter pulled back the covers and crawled into bed. Tony tucked him in and then sat down next to him, picking up the book on the nightstand.

“It’s my turn to read!” Peter said, reaching for the book. Tony passed him the book, a small smile on his face. As Peter started to read, Tony relaxed a little. Yes, Peter was going to be sad about Ned leaving. But he was handling it well and Tony was sure he’d make other friends. Maybe they wouldn’t be as perfectly fit as Ned, but he would. And if Tony had to be honest, he didn’t meet his best friend until he was a teenager, so he wasn’t too worried about Peter.

For now, he’d just listen to his son read, a content smile on his face.


	14. A Terrible Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony woke up to the sound of quiet voices. He opened his eyes slowly, taking in the hotel room he was in. It looked like most hotel rooms he stayed in; large bed, the best linens possible, a color to the room that wasn’t too ostentatious. It was cozy enough for not being home. But this year, for the first time in a few years, Tony was celebrating Christmas in New York.

Tony woke up to the sound of quiet voices. He opened his eyes slowly, taking in the hotel room he was in. It looked like most hotel rooms he stayed in; large bed, the best linens possible, a color to the room that wasn’t too ostentatious. It was cozy enough for not being home. But this year, for the first time in a few years, Tony was celebrating Christmas in New York.

Peter’s friend Ned had moved back to New York in August, after Peter’s eighth birthday. And as much as Peter tried to put on a brave face, Tony could tell his son missed his best friend. So Tony decided they would spend the week from Christmas to New Year’s in New York. It also meant Peter could spend some time with Ben and May. There was a knock at the door and then Peter poked his head in.

“Hi dad,” He said, seeing his dad awake and lying in bed. Tony smiled and nodded his head, indicating Peter should enter. Peter ran into the room and hopped onto the bed. Tony pulled his son closer to him, kissing Peter’s head a few times. Peter giggled.

“Merry Christmas bambino,” He said over Peter’s giggles.

“Merry Christmas dad!” Peter said. “Uncle Rhodey and Pepper have breakfast, but I wanted to wait for you.” Tony smiled.

“Well then let’s go, so we can open presents,” Peter hopped off the bed. Tony slowly stood up, suddenly feeling a little light-headed. He bit back a groan and rubbed the back of his neck. It was winter, he was probably just getting a cold. Peter looked at his dad curiously. “Sorry buddy, just moving a little slowly this morning.” Peter nodded and headed out of the room into the rest of the hotel suite. Tony followed him, ignoring the irregular beating of his heart. He smiled a little when he reached the main room of the suite.

Peter was sitting at the table, Rhodey placing a plate of food in front of him. Peter was happily talking to his godfather, a big smile on his face. Pepper was leaning against the counter, a cup of coffee in her hand, a gentle smile on her face. Tony walked over to her.

“Good morning,” He said. “And Merry Christmas.”

“Same to you,” Pepper said. Pepper had decided, after an invitation from Tony, to spend Christmas in New York. Her family wasn’t doing much for the holiday, mostly all going on different vacations. She also loved New York in the winter and it meant getting to spend the holiday with her godson, who she adored. Tony filled a mug with coffee and drank it, hoping the warm liquid would make him feel better.

“You sick Tones?” Rhodey asked, approaching them. Rhodey could see that Tony looked a little pale.

“Just a cold,” Tony said, even though he wasn’t sure. “I’ll make one of my vitamin boosting smoothies and be good as new.” Rhodey shook his head knowing how hard-headed Tony could be. “You know, I’ve been thinking of opening a branch of Stark Industries in New York.” Pepper raised an eyebrow.

“That would probably take some time,” She said.

“I’ve got time,” Tony said, glancing over at Peter. Pepper followed his eyes. “Besides, I think it might be nice to have a reason to come out here more often.” He glanced back at Pepper and smiled.

“Do some research after the holidays,” She said, before walking over to the table.

“Who knew Tony Stark was such a softie,” Rhodey said with a smirk.

“Shut up.” Tony said, before walking over to the table and joining his son’s conversation. He vaguely could feel the symptoms of whatever was wrong with him, but he figured in a few hours he would feel better.

* * *

 

Tony stood in the Malibu mansion a few hours later. He hadn’t been feeling better. In fact, he was feeling worse. After opening presents with his son, he was supposed to go with Peter to May and Ben’s apartment. But he was feeling so lousy and he could tell something was actually wrong. So he sent Rhodey and Pepper with Peter and promised he would meet them back at the hotel. Then, without a second thought, he put on the suit and flew home. On a plane, it would have taken five hours. In the suit, he could cut that time in half.

“Scan the sample JARVIS,” Tony said, staring at the holographic information in front of him. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

“Scan complete,” JARVIS said. “Blood is showing signs of poison.” Tony’s eyes widened in shock.

“How the hell did I get poisoned?” He asked, thinking back on everything he had eaten or drank in the last few days. There was that sketchy waiter at dinner the night before. Maybe he was some super-secret government agent trying to get the suit from him. “Was it from something ingested?”

“Negative sir,” JARVIS said. “The poisoning is coming from the known element of Palladium.” Tony sucked in a breath. Palladium was what he used to power the arc reactor. It lasted longer than most elements and was strong enough to power the arc reactor.

“So what is it doing to me?” Tony asked, staring at the scan of his blood.

“Palladium is seeping into your bloodstream sir,” JARVIS began. “Currently, your blood toxicity is at four percent. Elevated levels of blood toxicity could lead to extreme illness or worse death.” Tony gulped, his hand gently touching the arc reactor in his chest. He knew the hardware wasn’t exactly sustainable, but it was keeping him alive. Or so he thought.

“What can I do to reduce the toxicity of my blood?” Tony asked quietly. “Palladium cores keep the arc reactor running.” He sighed. “I’ll need to find something else to power it.” He checked his watch. He was running out of time before he had to get back to New York. “Save this under my personal server. And look into ways to reduce blood toxicity naturally until I find the right element.”

“Will do sir.” Tony sighed as the holograms disappeared. As he began assembling the suit on him, he wondered what he was going to do about this situation. As soon as the suit was assembled, he took off, back towards New York.

* * *

 

Peter had the best time in New York. May and Ben got him more of the book series he had been reading with his dad as well as a few board games, which he wanted to play immediately. They also tried to bake cookies again, like they had the first Christmas he had spent with them, but they didn’t come out right. Peter still loved the process, even if the cookies were gross.

He also got to spend a lot of time with Ned, who he had missed a lot since he moved. They built a bunch of Lego sets that Ned had gotten for Christmas and played in the snow. Peter made a note to ask his dad about the next time he could come to New York, because he was having so much fun while he was there. He almost wished he lived there.

It was New Year’s Eve and Peter was sitting on the couch of the hotel suite. He was a little tired, but wanted to make it to midnight. His dad was sitting next to him, sipping on some weird looking juice. Pepper and Rhodey had both left; Rhodey had to go take care of something to do with work and Pepper went back to California early. Peter and his dad were leaving tomorrow, after one last visit with May and Ben.

“What is that you’re drinking?” Peter asked. His dad did not seem to enjoy the weird looking juice, as he kept making faces when he drank it.

“It’s a smoothie,” Tony said. “And it boosts my immune system.”

“Why does your immune system need a boost?” Peter asked. Tony sighed and finished the drink, grimacing, before putting the cup down.

“Well I don’t like getting sick,” Tony said. “So drinking that helps me feel better.”

“It looks gross,” Peter said, wrinkling his nose at the cup.

“I don’t drink it for its deliciousness,” Tony said with a slight smirk. “The countdown’s starting bambino.” Peter turned his gaze back towards the screen, excitedly counting down. Tony watched Peter. Would this be his last New Year’s with his son? Palladium poisoning would probably kill him and probably within a year, if not faster. He had to find a solution. But he also didn’t want to miss out on time with his son. Peter was precious to him. He sighed internally. He’d have to figure something out if he couldn't find the right element. But for now, he had Peter there with him and that was all that matters.

“Happy New Year dad!” Peter shouted, excitedly turning towards Tony. Tony smiled and pulled Peter in for a tight hug. He kissed the messy curls on his son’s head and sighed.

“Happy New Year bambino.” And as Peter excitedly talked about the year ahead, Tony felt guilt and worry slowly begin to eat him up.

What was he going to do?


	15. The Stark Expo to DC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter stood backstage, Happy standing protectively behind him. They were in some big arena in Queens because his dad was announcing something.
> 
> "He’s going to do something cool, right?” Peter asked, looking up at Happy. Happy snorted and then nodded to the stage, just as Iron Man came flying in. “Cool!”

Peter stood backstage, Happy standing protectively behind him. They were in some big arena in Queens because his dad was announcing something. Peter had wanted to bring Ned with him, but his family had a party to go to, which both boys were disappointed about. Peter looked at the stage, waiting for his dad to appear.

“He’s going to do something cool, right?” Peter asked, looking up at Happy. Happy snorted and then nodded to the stage, just as Iron Man came flying in. “Cool!”

Peter didn’t say it out loud much, but he thought his dad being Iron Man was the coolest thing. His dad wore a high-tech suit that could stop bad guys. Who wouldn’t love it? He hadn’t done much stopping of bad guys since the thing with Mr. Stane that Peter didn’t like talking about. But the suit was still really cool.

Peter listened as his dad spoke about some type of Expo, that was going on all year-round. Peter thought it was cool for a couple of reasons. The first reason was he thought all the science and technology that would be there would be extremely cool. Think of all the new things he would get to see there! And the second reason was that it meant he could be in Queens a lot more. He was sure it was his dad’s sneaky way of letting him see Ned or May and Ben more. He was appreciative either way.

“Come on kid,” Happy said, guiding Peter to the other side of the stage. “Let’s go find your dad.” Peter smiled, searching around for his dad. He finally spotted him, out of the Iron Man suit and staring at something in his hand.

“Dad!” He said, running over to him. Tony pocketed the item in his hand and turned around.

“There’s my adorable kid,” Tony said, crouching down. “What did you think? Like my entrance?” Peter nodded, a wide grin on his face.

“It was really cool.” Peter said. Tony chuckled and ruffled Peter’s hair. He then straightened up and started walking, talking rapidly to Happy. Peter walked next to his dad, not really listening. They were talking about the kickoff to the Expo and other Stark Industries related things. When they reached a sports car, with a woman in front of it, Peter still wasn’t fully paying attention. Until she tried to hand something to his dad.

“ You are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at 9 am.” Peter looked back and forth between the woman and his dad, not sure what was going on. Tony glanced down at Peter before reading the paper that Happy had taken from the woman.

“How are far we from D.C.?”

* * *

“But why do you have to go talk to the government?” Tony stood in front of his son. Peter was sitting on the bed, a book on his lap. Tony was trying to pack, but of course Peter was asking him a million questions.

“Well buddy,” Tony started. “Some people in the government don’t think I should have the Iron Man suit.”

“But you built it,” Peter said. “It’s yours.” Tony chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair. “This sounds stupid. And I want to go with you.”

“It’s going to be long and boring,” Tony said. “I think you would much rather stay here.” Peter shrugged. Tony sighed internally. Anytime Tony had to go on a trip, Peter would still get clingy. The eight-year-old was still somewhat traumatized because of Tony’s three-month disappearance two years prior. He was getting older, so it wasn’t something he expressed out loud. But it was always clear when he complained about Tony having to leave.

“Yeah but still,” Peter said crossing his arms over his chest.

“You’re going to have a way better day than me,” Tony said, trying to cheer his son up. “Your Uncle Ben took the day off to take you to a baseball game and he’s probably going to buy you one of those ice creams that comes in a big plastic baseball cap. Meanwhile, I’m going to be stuck in a boring meeting with a bunch of people boring people.” He sat down on the bed for added drama. He made a face and Peter giggled.

“Fine,” Peter said, equally as dramatic as his dad. “But it’s just for the day right?” Tony nodded.

“I’m driving down to DC tomorrow morning,” Tony said. “And Happy’s taking you to your aunt and uncle’s house. As soon as I’m done, I’m getting on the jet and coming to pick you up and we’ll go home.” Peter smiled for a second, before a confused look crossed his face.

“Why don’t you just fly to DC?” He asked. “Isn’t that the kind of thing a plane is for?” Tony chuckled.

“I sent the plane to go get Pepper,” Tony said. “So that’s why I’m driving. And I kind of like driving.”

“Uncle Happy says you drive too fast,” Peter said and Tony rolled his eyes.

“Uncle Happy just doesn’t like when I don’t let him drive,” Tony said. Tony stood up. “Now, it is time for you to go to bed.” Peter pouted. “Come on, I’ll give you a piggyback ride there.” He turned around and squatted down, even though his body was definitely sore. The Palladium poisoning was only slowly increasing the toxicity of his blood and even more so, making him feel like garbage all the time. He heard Peter laugh before climbing on Tony’s back. Once he felt his son’s arms around his neck, he stood up.

“Thanks dad,” Peter said, leaning his chin on Tony’s shoulder. Tony chuckled and carried Peter out of the master suite and down the hall. Once they reached the slightly smaller room that Peter was staying in, he felt Peter tighten his grip. “No.”

“Ride’s up squirt,” Tony said. “Time to get down.”

“No,” Peter whined again. Tony sighed and walked over to the bed. He smirked to himself before slowly tipping backwards. “Dad! You’re going to squish me!”

“Then you better let go, squirt.” He heard a huff and then felt Peter’s limbs disentangle from his body. He turned around to face the now pouting eight-year-old. “Under the covers.” Peter huffed again, but did as he was told. Tony tucked him in, still noting the less than enthused expression on Peter’s face. “It’s just a few hours Pete. I’ll be back and we’ll be heading home in no time.”

“I know,” Peter said. “I just miss you when you’re gone.” Tony sat down on the bed, the same guilt that had been eating him up since Christmas bubbling through. He thought of the arc reactor in his chest, burning through cores almost weekly, trying to find a solution for the Palladium poisoning coursing through his veins. If he didn’t find a solution, well it would all be over. And his son would lose him forever.

“Listen Peter,” Tony said gently. “Everything I do, I do so you can have the best future possible. And sometimes that means I’m going to have to do a few things that you don’t like or have to go away. But I just want you to know that I love you more than anything in this world, okay?” Peter nodded and leaned forward to hug his dad.

“I love you too dad,” Peter said. Tony pressed a kiss into his son’s messy curls. How many more months did he actually have? How many more times would he be able to hug his son? He fought back tears, not wanting to get upset in front of Peter. He let go and stood up.

“Night bambino,” He crossed to the door, turning the lights off as he did. He stood in the doorway, as he did most nights, watching as Peter drifted off to sleep. He felt tears in his eyes, wondering how many more times he would get to see that sight. He pushed off the wall and closed the door. He had to focus on tomorrow’s hearing, but in the back of his mind, he knew he had to do something to make sure his kid was always protected.

Even if he wasn’t around to do it.


	16. A New CEO and a New PA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As much as he was happy to be home, he was starting to notice how different his dad was acting. His dad seemed more withdrawn, like he just wanted to be alone all the time. It reminded Peter of when he first came back from Afghanistan. He wondered if it was because of his big DC meeting. He got the feeling that people in DC weren’t happy about his dad being Iron Man. Even worse, based on a conversation he totally wasn’t eavesdropping on, it sounded like even his Uncle Rhodey didn’t trust his dad to be Iron Man. Which didn’t seem fair, especially because Rhodey knew best of what his dad had been through.

Peter sat in the living room watching TV. He was happy to be home. He had had a really fun time in Queens. Ben really enjoyed the game because the Mets won, which apparently was kind of an anomaly. Peter wondered why his uncle would even root for a team that was so bad, but Peter didn’t care too much for sports. He did, as his dad predicted, get an ice cream in a souvenir cup. He left the cup in the room he had in May and Ben’s apartment, since it didn’t have too much decoration.

As much as he was happy to be home, he was starting to notice how different his dad was acting. His dad seemed more withdrawn, like he just wanted to be alone all the time. It reminded Peter of when he first came back from Afghanistan. He wondered if it was because of his big DC meeting. He got the feeling that people in DC weren’t happy about his dad being Iron Man. Even worse, based on a conversation he totally wasn’t eavesdropping on, it sounded like even his Uncle Rhodey didn’t trust his dad to be Iron Man. Which didn’t seem fair, especially because Rhodey knew best of what his dad had been through.

“Hi Peter,” He looked up from the TV to see Pepper walking in. “Done with your homework?” Peter nodded.

“My dad’s in the workshop,” Peter said. Pepper nodded and Peter noticed a frustrated look on her face. “Are you okay?”

“I just have to go talk to your dad,” She said. “Will you stay up here?” Peter nodded. Pepper then headed downstairs. Lately, Pepper seemed quite frustrated with his dad. It was like everything his dad did, either with the company or the suit annoyed her. Rhodey seemed annoyed with his dad as well. Peter didn’t understand. The Iron Man suit was helping people, wasn’t it? Now that his dad didn’t make weapons anymore, he was helping people too, wasn’t he?

Peter stared at the stairs leading down to the workshop. All these were questions he could ask his dad. But his dad had asked him to stay upstairs. He had used the phrase ‘for a little while’. It had been a little while right? Peter turned off the TV and scooted down the couch. He made his way down the stairs until he was in front of the glass doors of the workshop. He still didn’t know the code because he wasn’t allowed in there alone. He spotted his dad and Pepper, both holding glasses with some sort of yellowish liquid in the them.

“JARVIS, can you ask my dad to let me in?” Peter said, watching his dad with slight confusion. He waited a second. He saw his dad glanced towards the door, spotting Peter. He heard a click, telling him the door was unlocked. He pushed the door open and scurried in.

“Hey squirt,” Tony said as Peter reached his side. Tony and Pepper were sitting on one of the couches in the workshop.

“What are you drinking?” Peter asked, staring at the glasses.

“It’s champagne,” Tony said. “We’re celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?” Peter asked, noticing the slightly shocked look on Pepper’s face. Tony smirked.

“Well I’ve just made Pepper the CEO of Stark Industries,” Tony said.

“So she’s in charge now?” Peter asked, glancing over at his godmother. “But what about you?” Tony patted the couch and Peter sat down between his dad and Pepper.

“Well I still own the company,” Tony said and Peter nodded. “So it still be called Stark Industries. But Pepper is going to run the day-to-day stuff. Does that make sense?” Peter nodded.

“Congratulations Pepper!” Peter said, smiling at his godmother. Pepper smiled and put her glass down. She playfully tousled Peter’s hair. She then stood up.

“Well I have some paperwork to draw up,” Tony nodded and then she exited the workshop. Tony put the glass down and leaned back against the couch. A soft sigh escaped his throat.

“You okay dad?” Peter asked, noticing the slightly exhausted look on his face.

“Yeah bud,” Tony said, holding his arm out. Peter smiled and scooted closer, resting his head against his dad’s side. “I’m okay.”

Even though that was far from the truth.

* * *

Tony already liked his new PA. Yes, Pepper told him that he couldn’t hire Natalie as his PA, probably because she was worried he would do something stupid or something offend her. Pepper had been his PA for far longer than anyone, even he had expected. Replacing her was going to be difficult. And there was something compelling about the mysterious redhead.

Also watching her take down Happy was amazing.

Tony sat in the driver’s seat, driving towards Peter’s school. Happy was sitting in the passenger seat, eyeing the woman in the back. Natalie had a polite smile on her face and wasn’t breaking eye contact with Happy. Tony had decided that if Natalie was going to be his PA, he needed to see how she interacted with Peter. Pepper was amazing with Peter; it was why he eventually asked her to be Peter’s godmother. But he needed a PA that he could not only trust with his life (or however much he had left), but his son’s life as well.

Tony pulled up to school and waited. The older students at Peter’s school didn’t have to wait with their teachers, so Tony could wait by the curb. He could see his son running towards the car, his small red backpack bouncing against his back. He opened the door and quickly got in.

“Who are you?” He asked staring at Natalie. He looked up front for an answer from Tony.

“This is my new PA,” Tony said, starting to drive. “Say hi to Natalie Peter.” Peter looked back at the redhead who smiled kindly at him.

“So you’re doing Pepper’s old job?” He asked and she nodded. He looked back at his dad. “She’s not my new godmother too, right?” Tony chuckled and shook his head. Even Natalie smiled at his comment.

“No buddy,” Tony said. “Pepper is still your godmother.” Peter nodded and looked back at the redhead. She had a kind smile about her, so he had no reason not to trust her. The rest of the ride was silent, but Peter did notice Happy watching Natalie from the rearview mirror, with the redhead staring back at him. When they finally got to the house, Peter was the first out and inside.

He had a daily routine when it came to coming home from school. He always went right to the kitchen table to start his homework. As he did his homework, either his dad or Pepper would make him a snack. If it was his dad, then his dad would head down to the workshop, telling Peter he could come down when he was done. If it was Pepper, she was sit at the table with him, doing her own work and offering help if Peter needed it.

That wasn’t what happened that day.

“I’m going to do some work buddy,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s hair, as he walked past the table. “I’ll be back up in a little.” Peter made a face but nodded. Tony glanced at Natalie. “Ms. Rushman, will you keep an eye on my son?”

“Of course Mr. Stark,” She said with a smile. Tony nodded and glanced down at Peter. Peter just made a face before starting his homework. Tony then headed down to the workshop, noting that Happy was also in the room as he seemed to be unsure about the new PA.

“So Peter,” Peter looked up from his math homework. The redhead was now standing across the table. “Do you usually have a snack with your homework?” Peter nodded. “How about I get that for you?” Peter shrugged and went back to work. Pepper always cut little pieces of cheddar cheese and laid them out with crackers for Peter. His dad usually put out a bowl of goldfish or apples and peanut butter. He wasn’t sure what this new person was going to come up with.

He looked up when a plate was put in front of his pile of homework. His eyes widened a little in shock. On the plate, were eight perfectly cut slices of cheddar cheese with accompanying crackers. He looked up at Natalie in shock.

“You just seemed like a cheese and crackers guy to me,” She said with a smile. And for the first time since he had met her, Peter smiled back. “Now tell me about this homework of yours.”

* * *

Tony was downstairs in his workshop for maybe thirty minutes. He needed to check his blood toxicity and replace the arc reactor core. But even so, it was probably a long time for his son, who he could tell was not keen on this new person in his life.

Or so Tony thought.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he heard Peter giggling. As he rounded the corner towards the kitchen table, he saw the two of them. Peter had his homework out and a snack in front of him. He was looking at up at Natalie, a smile on his face. The redhead had an equally charming smile on her face. Peter then noticed Tony.

“Dad, Nat helped me finish my math homework!” Peter said excitedly. “And she told me I could call her Nat.” The redhead smiled and stood up.

“Will that be all Mr. Stark?” She asked. Tony smiled, relieved that Peter liked her.

“Yes thank you Ms. Rushman,” He glanced over at Happy. “Hap, give Ms. Rushman a ride back to the office so she can get home safely.” Happy gave the redhead a look but nodded and headed outside.

“Bye Nat!” Peter said, smiling at her.

“Bye Peter,” She said, smiling down at him. She nodded politely to Tony before leaving. Tony walked over to the table as Peter was putting his math away.

“She’s so cool dad!” Peter said as Tony sat down next to him. “She knew my favorite snack and she told me she could teach me Russian!” Tony chuckled and ruffled Peter’s hair. “She’s not Pepper, but I like her.”

“An excellent review,” Tony said. “And just because Pepper has a different job, doesn’t mean she’s not going to be around for you.”

“That’s what Nat said,” Peter said. “And I know.” Tony smiled. “Can you make chicken for dinner?” Tony chuckled.

“Sure thing kiddo,” Tony said, getting up. “You finish your homework and then come help me when you’re done.” Peter nodded and got back to work. Tony headed towards the kitchen. Tony was glad that his son liked Natalie. He was going to need more people in his life. Tony touched the arc reactor in his chest and glanced back at Peter.

Especially if his time was limited.


	17. An Extended Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re sending me to Queens for a whole week,” The eight-year-old said glumly. “I don’t even get to spend your birthday with you.”

Tony sat on the plane, a very pouting eight-year-old sitting next to him. Pepper was seated across from him, a very watchful eye on Peter. Happy was somewhere nearby, carrying his suit in briefcase form. Natalie was on a commercial flight to Monaco, as Tony hadn’t told Pepper about her yet.

“What are you reading bud?” Tony asked, glancing over at Peter. His son just frowned harder and didn’t respond. “Oh come on Peter, don’t be mad at me.”

“You’re sending me to Queens for a whole week,” The eight-year-old said glumly. “I don’t even get to spend your birthday with you.” Tony sighed. He thought it was best, seeing as he had all these things planned for the next week that were definitely not appropriate for an eight-year-old. He was almost acting like he did before he had his son.

It was hard, navigating how he wanted the small bit of time he seemed to have left to go. Every other core for the arc reactors was failing and the palladium was only seeping more and more into his bloodstream. If these were going to be his final days, he wanted to make the most of them. And he didn’t want his son to watch. Queens was the best place for him for the next week (and possibly for the future).

“I’ve just got a lot of work to do in the next week,” Tony said. “You’d be bored anyways. Besides in Queens you can see your friend Ned.” Peter pouted. Tony sighed and got up, going to grab something from the private kitchen.

“Is my dad mad at me?” Peter asked, looking at Pepper. She frowned.

“No sweetie,” Pepper said. “Why would you think that?” Peter sighed and got out of his seat. He sat down next to Pepper. She moved a few of his messy curls off his face.

“Well he’s sending me away for a whole week,” Peter said sadly. “And he barely lets me go down to the workshop anymore.” His eyes teared up a little. Pepper wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

“Oh sweetie,” She said gently rubbing circles on his back. “Your dad isn’t mad at you. He’s just going through a lot right now.” Truthfully, Pepper didn’t know what was going on with Tony. Between his flippancy at the Senate hearing, running the Stark expo, turning his company over to her, and sending Peter away, Tony was acting all over the place. She didn’t know what to make of him and his behavior. If he acted like the Tony Stark the press expected him to be, it was certainly never in front of Peter. The little boy pulled his head away, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

“I wish he wouldn’t act this way,” Peter said sadly. “Everything’s been different and I don’t like it.” He then got up and went back to his seat. He curled up against the window and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. Pepper watched him sadly. When Tony came back out, with a bowl full of assorted candies, Pepper just shook her head. Tony noticed that Peter was asleep and sighed. He then disappeared back into the small kitchen. Pepper sighed and looked back over at the boy, feeling sorry for what he was going through.

* * *

If Peter was upset on the plane ride, then he was even more so when they landed. As he exited the plane, he could see May and Ben already waiting for him. He spun around to face his dad.

“You’re dropping me off here?” He asked, his eyes tearing up. Tony stepped out of the jet and crouched down. “Why?”

“It’s a long flight and we have to be there by morning.” Peter’s lip quivered and he looked down at his feet.

“I don’t like any of this,” Peter said. “I just want to stay with you.” Tony wrapped his son in a hug, feeling tears on his sports coat.

“It’s just a few days,” He whispered.

“That’s what you said last time,” Peter’s muffled voice said between sniffles. Tony’s heart nearly burst with guilt. The last time he went on a trip, he didn’t know what was coming for him. This time he did. This was what was best for his son. Tony kissed the top of Peter’s head.

“I love you, bambino,” Tony said. “Even when you’re upset with me, I want you to remember that.” Peter looked at his dad, his brown eyes filled with tears.

“It doesn’t feel that way,” He said sadly. Tony sighed and just hugged Peter again. “I love you too. I just don’t like this.”

“Someday you’ll understand,” Tony said, letting go of his son. Peter frowned but nodded. Then he turned and headed down the steps. Tony stood up and watched from the top as Peter sulked his way over to May and Ben. May hugged the small boy tightly, even though she had seen him recently. Ben glanced over at Tony. Tony gave a polite nod before going back on the plane. When Peter turned around, after hugging his aunt, his dad was nowhere to be seen.

“Come on sweetie,” May said gently, taking Peter’s hand. Peter used his free hand to wipe his tears away as May and Ben walked him to their car. Peter refused to look back at the jet, knowing that if he did, he would burst into tears.

* * *

Peter spent most the week being miserable. Sure, he loved getting to see Ned and building Legos with his best friend. And Ben and May tried to cheer him up as best as they could. But Peter just felt miserable the whole time. The worst part was when he accidentally saw a news report of some bad guy with electric ropes trying to hurt his dad. All he had wanted was to call his dad and talk to him. But he couldn’t. So he was miserable.

He was supposed to be going home tomorrow. Peter was packed and everything. His dad was supposed to come pick him up and take him back home. And that was all he wanted, to see his dad and go home.

But that wasn’t what ended up happening.

He was watching a movie with May and Ben. May had made popcorn that she didn’t burn, which according to Ben was a huge win. About halfway through the movie, the phone rang. Ben got up and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Should we pause it?” Peter asked.

“Nah,” May said, passing Peter the popcorn bowl. “Your Uncle has seen this movie like a gajillion times.” Peter giggled a little which made May smile. Any sign of happiness from the eight-year-old made her happy because he spent so much of the time there being miserable.

“That’s not a real number,” Peter said and May stuck her tongue out at him. Ben came out of the kitchen, a solemn look on his face.

“May, I need to talk to you,” May noticed the look on her husband’s face and quickly got up. The two adults disappeared into the kitchen. Peter paused the movie because something about the way they were acting was worrying him. He wasn’t supposed to be eavesdropping, but it was a small apartment and he couldn’t help it.

“Are you sure?” He heard May say. “He’s been so sad the whole time. Are you really sure that’s a good idea?” Peter gulped. Hearing her words made him more nervous. He quickly pressed play, not wanting to hear anymore. Ben and May came out of the kitchen, Ben holding the house phone.

“Pete, it’s your dad,” Ben said. Peter jumped off the couch and raced over to his uncle.

“Dad?” He asked, taking the phone immediately. “Are you okay? I saw something about a bad man trying to hurt you.” He heard his dad sigh through the phone.

“ _ Yeah buddy I’m okay _ ,” His voice sounded tired, like he hadn’t slept much. “ _ Listen I was thinking maybe you should stay with your aunt and uncle for a few more days _ .” Peter’s lip started to quiver.

“W-What?” He asked. “Why?”

“ _ Well I have to figure out how to stop the bad guy _ ,” Tony said. “ _ And I want to keep you safe _ .” Peter could feel his eyes welling up with tears. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.

“But you’re supposed to keep me safe,” He said, the tears starting to bubble out. “You promised me.”

“ _ I just think this is what’s best.”  _ Peter squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling. “ _ But I love you so much.” _

“No!” Peter shouted. His sudden loudness startled May and Ben. “No you don’t!” He then dropped the phone out of his hand and ran out of the living room. May and Ben had a small two-bedroom apartment, which meant Peter had a room to himself. He ran into the small room, not bothering to shut the door and curled up on the bed. He pulled a pillow close to him and began sobbing. He didn’t know why his dad was doing this, but it hurt so much.

“Peter?” He heard May’s gentle voice, but didn’t look up. He could feel her sit down next to him, based on the groans of the springs in the mattress. She wrapped her arms around him, letting him cry for as long as he needed to.

* * *

“That didn’t go well,” Tony sighed into the phone. He was sure his son was upset with him. But this was something he had to do.

“ _ Stark _ ,” Ben’s gruff voice came back through the phone. “ _ As you can probably tell, Peter’s pretty upset. May’s going to try and calm him down. _ ”

“Thanks,” Tony said, as he pricked his finger and tested the blood toxicity. It read sixty percent. He sighed. “Listen the Stark Expo is going on. Feel free to bring Peter whenever he wants. His little friend too. I’ll make sure you have unlimited access.”

“ _ You and I both know that’s not going to be enough, _ ” Ben said and Tony sighed. “ _ I’ve been a cop long enough to know when someone is pushing their loved ones away to deal with their own trauma. I just don’t know if you’re considering what this doing to your son.” _

“He’ll understand some day,” Tony said.

“ _ Maybe _ ,” Ben said.  _ “Or he’ll resent you for it. If you’re planning on being around that long. _ ” Tony didn’t respond.  _ “I also know what someone sounds like when they’ve given up. You got a kid to live for Stark and a great one at that. _ ” And then, the call ended. Tony sighed and dropped the phone. Ben Parker had no idea what he was talking about.

No amount of knowledge would allow anyone to understand what Tony was going through.


	18. Stark Expo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter what May and Ben did to try and cheer Peter up, nothing seemed to work. Ever since the phone call from his dad, the boy was a mess. He cried himself to sleep the first night and then had a nightmare. May and Ben tried to soothe him back to sleep, but he just continued to cry.

No matter what May and Ben did to try and cheer Peter up, nothing seemed to work. Ever since the phone call from his dad, the boy was a mess. He cried himself to sleep the first night and then had a nightmare. May and Ben tried to soothe him back to sleep, but he just continued to cry.

Peter didn’t want to leave the apartment. May tried to convince him to go to the park or go to Ned’s house, but he didn’t want to. May did arrange with Ned’s mom for Ned to come over for a playdate, but Peter just sat sadly on the couch while his friend tried to cheer him up.

Pepper called almost every day to check in on him. Rhodey did the same. Even Natalie called once or twice to talk to him. But he didn’t hear from his dad. Peter was mad at his dad, but that didn’t mean he wanted his dad to ignore him. And that’s what he felt like his dad was doing. And that made him feel worse.

After days of Peter being cooped up in the apartment, May and Ben had had enough.

“We’re going to the Stark Expo tonight,” May said. Peter frowned and crossed his arms.

“I don’t want to go to that,” Peter said. He actually did really want to go and had been talking desperately about all the cool inventions and technology that would be shown there. But it was his dad’s thing and he was mad at his dad.

“You talked about it all the time,” May said. “Besides, your dad gave us access to everything.” Peter shook his head. Ben sighed and walked in front of the boy.

“You’re going, end of discussion,” And because his uncle was so tall and spoke with so much authority, Peter had nothing else to do but nod. But he certainly wasn’t happy about it.

* * *

The Expo was even better than last time. The last time Peter was there, it was just the opening ceremonies. Now, the arena that housed the Expo was full of stuff. Tons of new tech that people could try out, inventors showing off their latest ideas, and way too many things that could hover off the ground. And Peter loved every second of it.

And then he remembered that he was mad at his dad.

It all came swirling back to him when they passed an Iron Man merchandise table. People were buying things from it left and right. Everyone else in the world still seemed to love Iron Man. Peter wanted to love him too; it was the man inside of the suit that made him sad.

“Look what I got you Pete,” He looked up to see his uncle holding an Iron Man mask. “You said you wanted one of your own.” Peter fought back a frown but took the mask. Since he didn’t want to be rude, he put it on. It also meant he could hide his reactions, since the whole Iron Man booth kind of made him want to cry.

“Justin Hammer’s presentation will begin in five minutes,” They heard an announcer say. May took Peter’s hand.

“Come on sweetie,” She said, guiding him towards the main stage. “This should be fun to watch.” Peter didn’t say anything and just followed his aunt. He also didn’t mention how his dad always said Justin Hammer was an idiot. He didn’t know if that was true, but he was mad at his dad, so he was going to ignore that sentiment.

The man that his father loved insulting had a flashy presentation. He was certainly full of energy and excitement. Peter was confused on how this person was able to make suits that used technology that his dad had come up with, when his dad didn’t share that with anyone. But that all disappeared when a new suit that looked almost too much like one of his dad’s appeared on the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present to you the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.” Peter stared in shock as the mask opened revealing his uncle. Why was his Uncle Rhodey working with someone else? Why wouldn’t he just ask his dad about a suit?

“Huh,” Ben said, glancing down at Peter. “That’s unexpected.” Peter was about to lift the mask and say something, when the commotion began.

Suddenly Iron Man flew down from the open arena and on to the stage. Peter felt angry seeing his dad. But he seemed to be talking to the smaller man and Rhodey. And everything seemed fine. Until Rhodey and the rest of the suits on stage started aiming at his dad.

“Oh my god!” May shouted. And then everyone was running. Peter felt his grasp on May’s hand loosen. He spun around looking for May and Ben, unable to find them in the commotion.

“Look out!”

“Run!”

People were screaming as the other suits and his uncle flew off after his dad. Peter looked up, watching all the commotion in the air. The other suits, which were likely not being piloted by anyone were no longer just firing at his dad, they were no firing at civilians. People were running, covering their heads as they ran towards the exit. Peter looked up to see one of the suits flying towards him, as if he was the target. He stood his ground. Iron Man was his dad and they were trying to hurt him.

He didn’t know what caused him to do it, maybe the fact that the mask hid his true emotions, but he lifted his hand up. He knew exactly how his dad fired the repulsors, his arm perfectly straight, his hand bent at a ninety-degree angle. Nothing would happen, but he hoped it would scare the suit off.

Instead, a blast sent it flying backwards. Peter jumped backwards and spun around. There in front of him was his dad in the Iron Man suit. And in that moment, he wanted to burst into tears and hug his dad. But he didn’t get that chance.

“Nice work kid,” His dad said before flying off. Peter looked up and watched him go, awe on his hidden face. As soon as his dad was gone, he pulled off the mask and held it close to him. Suddenly, he wasn’t angry at his dad anymore. Because his dad really was a hero.

“Peter!” He turned to see Ben running towards. “Thank god, we thought we lost you.” He scooped the eight-year-old up. “Are you okay buddy?”

“I’m fine,” Peter said. “Can we go home now?” Ben chuckled, his concern for Peter slowly draining off his face.

“Yeah.” Ben said. “Your aunt’s waiting for us outside.” He started walking towards the exit, still carrying the boy. When they finally got outside and found May, she ran over and hugged Peter.

“I’m so sorry we lost you,” May said. “It will never happen again.”

“It’s okay Aunt May,” Peter said smiling at her. “I’m fine.” May exhaled as Ben put the boy down.

“Maybe you were right to not want to go,” Ben said as they moved towards a group that was being guided out of the area. Peter shrugged. In reality, he was actually kind of glad that he went. It reminded him why he thought Iron Man was so cool and why his dad was his hero.

He just hoped that his dad was going to be okay.


	19. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of the news outlets were reporting on what happened at the Stark Expo. They were saying that the chaos was caused by Justin Hammer, the man who Peter now felt his dad had a good reason to hate, and some Russian man who was being reported as dead. The outlets were calling his dad and his Uncle Rhodey heroes, which would have made Peter smile. But the outlets were reporting that they had not seen his dad or the Iron Man armor in hours.
> 
> Peter was rightfully scared. He wasn’t angry at his dad anymore. What he really wanted was to know that his dad was okay. And nothing those news reports were saying made him feel that way.

All of the news outlets were reporting on what happened at the Stark Expo. They were saying that the chaos was caused by Justin Hammer, the man who Peter now felt his dad had a good reason to hate, and some Russian man who was being reported as dead. The outlets were calling his dad and his Uncle Rhodey heroes, which would have made Peter smile. But the outlets were reporting that they had not seen his dad or the Iron Man armor in hours.

Peter was rightfully scared. He wasn’t angry at his dad anymore. What he really wanted was to know that his dad was okay. And nothing those news reports were saying made him feel that way.

“Peter you have to go to bed,” May said, trying to urge to the eight-year-old off the couch. It was close to 4 AM. Peter shook his head. He wanted to know his dad was okay. Ben, who was watching from the kitchen, sighed and walked over.

“Don’t think we’re gonna get him off this couch,” Ben said. He sat down next to him. “Might as well join him.” He leaned over to Peter. “Your mom was always stubborn as well.” Peter smiled a little. Ben always trickled in little details about his mom. Not enough to ask a question, but just for it to be there. May was about to say something was there was a knock at the door. Peter looked up at the door. Could it be his dad? The knock came again, more urgent this time.

“Who on earth could that be?” May muttered to herself, walking to the door. She opened, revealing Tony on the other side.

“Dad!” Peter shouted. He hopped off the couch and ran over. Tony bent down and caught him in a hug as Peter ran into his arms. Peter wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck, with no intention of letting go. He wasn’t going to cry but he didn’t want to be away from his dad.

“God I missed you Peter,” Tony said, holding Peter close to him. Peter buried his head in the crook his dad’s neck. He stood up, ignoring the groaning in his muscles, holding his son close.

“You keep doing this thing where you don’t die,” Ben said, walking over to Tony. “I’m becoming more and more impressed.” Tony fought back a laugh and shrugged. May went to close the door and saw Pepper waiting in the hallway. Pepper smiled and walked in. May closed the door behind her.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Peter said. “We went to the Expo tonight. Saw what that stupid short guy in glasses did.” Tony snorted.

“You are most definitely my son,” Tony said. “And don’t worry. That stupid short guy was arrested. Thanks to Pepper.” Tony glanced appreciatively at the strawberry blonde woman, who nodded. He looked over at May and Ben. Ben was standing behind May, towering over her. His hand was on her shoulder and she had her hand over his.

“What happens now?” Peter asked. Tony adjusted his grip on Peter and sighed.

“I’d really like to go home,” Tony said. “And I bet you would too.” Peter nodded. Tony sighed and kissed his son on the side of his head. He glanced at Pepper again. “So let’s go home.” Peter wrapped his arms tighter around his dad’s neck and hugged him. Tony then put him down.

“I’ll help you grab your stuff Peter,” Pepper said. Peter nodded heading towards his room, Pepper following. When they were out of the living room, Tony turned towards May and Ben.

“You have no idea how grateful I am for you both letting him stay here,” Tony said. “And I hope I never have to do that again for such an extended time.” May nodded and Ben stepped towards Tony.

“We both love that little boy,” Ben said. “So we’re happy to have him. But don’t forget who raised him.” Ben stuck his hand out and Tony shook it. “Still don’t like you.”

“Debatable at this point,” Tony said. The other man chuckled a little and then let go of Tony’s hand. A few minutes later, Peter came out of the smaller room, a backpack on his back. Pepper followed him, a small suitcase in her hand. After hugging May and Ben, he walked over to his dad.

“Let’s go home buddy.”

* * *

Tony watched his son sleep on the plane. He wondered if this was the first good night’s sleep he had in awhile. He could have only imagined what his son was thinking while Tony was away from him. He sighed softly, which got Pepper’s attention. She followed his gaze and smiled slightly. She took his hand and gently rubbed her thumb across his palm.

“Is he going to hate me?” Tony asked. “I basically abandoned him for two weeks. I mean, my dad did much worse, but I hated him for that.”

“Peter could never hate you,” Pepper said gently. “I’m sure he wasn’t happy with why you did it. But you saw how he ran over to you when May opened the door. He loves you and always will.”

“Should I tell him?” Tony asked. “About why I was acting so off.”

“Up to you,” Pepper said. “Probably better he hears it from you and hears it sincerely.” Tony rolled his eyes and looked over at her.

“I tried to tell you,” He said.

“Over a burnt omelet,” Pepper said. “You could have come up with a better idea.” She made a teasing face at him and he shook his head. “Although, I for one and am glad you’re fine.”

“Oh yeah?” Tony asked, a slight smirk on his face. “And why’s that?” Pepper laughed lightly before leaning over and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Neither noticed that Peter had opened his eyes and a confused look passed over his face. He rubbed his eyes to see if what he was seeing was real. He then quickly closed his eyes so neither adult would know he was awake.

“No interruptions this time,” She said softly. Tony smirked and cupped her face with one of his hands and kissed her. Pepper then rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Tony sighed, smiling happily at her, before looking out the airplane window. As he watched the sun slowly rise, he felt a sense of peace that he hadn’t felt in a while.

* * *

By the time they got back to the house, it was already nine o’clock California time. Peter was wide awake, having gotten enough sleep on the plane. He walked into the house and smiled.

“Hi JARVIS!” He said as he moved towards the kitchen. He put his backpack down and climbed up to a chair at the kitchen island.

“Welcome home young sir,” Peter smiled. Tony walked in and began making himself a cup of coffee. Pepper rested her hands against the counter and sighed.

“Hey dad,” Peter said, getting Tony’s attention. “Are we going to talk about anything or is it all adult stuff?” Tony turned around from the coffee maker and sighed.

“How about this,” Tony began. “We’ll play a different version of twenty questions. You can ask me anything about the last couple of weeks and I’ll answer it. Within reason.” The coffee finished brewing and he poured it into a mug. He offered the pot to Pepper who shook her head.

“Okay,” Peter said. “Why did Uncle Rhodey have his own suit?”

“He took it after we got into a fight,” Tony said. “We’re okay now though, so you don’t have to waste a question on that.”

“Is he like your sidekick now?”

“Probably,” Tony said with a smirk. “But don’t let your uncle hear that.” Peter nodded, a smile on his face.

“Where did all those other suits come from?” Peter asked. “At the Expo.”

“A man named Ivan Vanko made them,” Tony said.

“Why?” Peter asked, knowing that wasn’t a good use of a question, but he wanted to know more.

“Well my dad wasn’t very nice to his dad,” Tony said. “So he wanted revenge.”

“That seems stupid,” Peter said and Tony shrugged. “Why did you make me stay with Aunt May and Uncle Ben for so long?” Tony sighed.

“This is kind of a complicated answer,” Tony said. “So bear with me. You know the thing in my chest that’s keeping me alive.”

“The arc reactor,” Peter said. “What about it?”

“Well it was making me very sick,” Tony said with a sigh. “To the point that I thought…I thought I was going to die. And I, um.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t want you to see that.” Peter’s lip quivered a little and Tony put the coffee mug down. He walked around the island and hugged Peter.

“So you weren’t mad at me?” Peter asked, a few tears dripping down his face. Tony shook his head.

“No buddy,” Tony said. “I just didn’t want you to see me so sick and in pain.” Peter nodded and Tony wiped a few tears from his eyes. He sat down on the other chair at the island and swiveled it so he was facing Peter.

“Are you better now?” Peter asked.

“Yes,” Tony said. “I am all better and definitely not going to die. And you still have twelve questions left.” Tony reached for his mug across the counter. Peter nodded thinking about his next question. He glanced at Pepper who was patiently watching him and his dad. He then glanced at his dad who was taking a sip of coffee.

“Why did Pepper kiss you on the plane?” Tony nearly choked on the coffee he was drinking and Pepper’s eyes widened. Tony coughed a little and put the coffee cup down.

“You were asleep,” Tony said, trying to clear his throat.

“I woke up,” Peter said with a shrug. “And that wasn’t an answer. She kissed you.”

“But I kiss you all the time Peter,” Pepper said, trying to be the level-headed one. “That’s what you do when you care about people.”

“Nuh uh,” Peter said. “You always kiss me on my forehead or my cheek.” Peter said, pointing to each one on his face. “You kissed my dad on the lips, like Aunt May does to Uncle Ben.” Pepper’s face flushed with embarrassment and Tony chuckled awkwardly. Peter looked back at his dad. “You said that I could ask anything.”

“I guess I didn’t expect that question,” Tony said, glancing at Pepper. He wasn’t sure what to exactly say. Mostly because he didn’t know what he and Pepper were now.

“Well?” Tony sputtered, not sure what to say.

“Well sweetie,” Pepper said, jumping in. “You kiss people like that when you like them, as more than friends or family.”

“Oh,” Peter said. “So I know that people who like each other like that get married like Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Or like Ms. Tate who got engaged last year. But what happens before all of that?”

“Usually those two people go on a date,” Tony said, awkwardly glancing at Pepper.

“So are you going to take Pepper on a date?” Peter asked.

“I’d certainly like to,” Tony said and Pepper smiled, a slight blush on her face. “Is that okay with you buddy?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Peter asked. “Pepper’s great.”

“Yeah, she is.” Tony said smiling at her. “Anymore questions?” Peter shook his head and yawned. “Alright squirt, how about a nap?”

“I’m too old for naps,” Peter said yawning again. Tony chuckled.

“How about a movie?” Peter nodded and climbed off the chair. As he went over to the couch, Tony walked over to the sink. Pepper stayed where she was, watching him.

“So are we actually going out soon or,” His voice trailed off. He glanced at her.

“Dinner tonight would be lovely,” Pepper said, her hand gently grazing his arm. She then walked over to the couch. He watched as she delicately kicked off her heels and sat down on the couch, playfully tousling Peter’s hair. Tony smiled before walking over to them. He sat down on the couch, Peter in between him and Pepper. Peter moved, as if he was going to sit on Tony’s lap, which surprised Tony. But then he kept moving, until he was on the other side of Tony. Tony then realized that this put him in the middle, with Peter on one side of him and Pepper on the other.

“Your kid,” Pepper whispered and Tony chuckled. He turned on a movie, enjoying the opportunity to relax. He felt Peter’s head rest against his side. As his eyes started to loll shut, his body started to slump, until his head was resting on Tony’s leg. Tony carded his hand through his son’s hair, a small smile on his face. He felt Pepper scoot closer to him. He moved his other arm so that it was resting on the back of the couch. Pepper moved again so she was sitting next to him, her side against his.

“All good?” Pepper asked, glancing down at the sleeping eight-year-old and then back up at Tony.

“Yeah,” Tony said, smiling at her. “All good.” Pepper smiled back and leaned her head on his shoulder. Tony let out a relaxed exhale.

Yeah, everything was good.


	20. An Important Christmas Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony sighed and leaned back against the counter. He felt like he needed to have a real conversation with his kid about his relationship. Which freaked him out to no end.
> 
> “You’re okay with me and Pepper right?” Tony asked.

Tony sat on the jet, watching as Peter ran around the spacious room, Happy trying to wrangle him. The nine-year-old laughed loudly as Happy grunted out of frustration before finally catching Peter and swinging him up in the air.

“He shouldn’t be doing that,” Pepper said, looking up from her Stark Tablet. She was sitting across from him.

“Who Peter or Happy?” Tony asked, a wry smile on his face. Pepper rolled her eyes. “Peter’s full of energy and Happy could use the exercise.” Pepper rolled her eyes. “What are you working on anyways?”

“Just making sure the sale is final,” Pepper said. Tony nodded. It had been six months since he had made Pepper CEO and damn if she wasn’t doing a great job. The company’s stocks were higher than ever and the press seemed to think that Tony not being CEO was the best thing to happen to Stark Industries. Which was fine by him; it gave him more time to tinker with his suit and deal with the government, who still had Rhodey’s suit. Rhodey assured him that everything was fine, but Tony still didn’t like it.

“Are we there yet?” Peter asked, plopping down next to Tony. Tony chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair.

“Not much longer now,” Tony said. “Why, you got some big plans you didn’t tell your old man about?”

“Dad,” Peter said, rolling his eyes. Tony chuckled. “I’m just excited. I love going to New York. It’s the best!” Tony smiled, glad to hear the sentiment from his son. “Aunt May said she was going to take me and Ned ice skating.”

“Ned and I,” Pepper butted it. Peter stuck his tongue out at her. Pepper was always correcting someone’s grammar, either Tony or Peter’s. Pepper laughed lightly and shook her head.

“It’s going to be so much fun,” Peter said with a smile. “And then we’re having a sleepover!” Tony chuckled and wrapped his arm around his son. “What are you going to do while I’m gone?” Tony shrugged.

“Probably work,” Tony said. “Got some SI stuff to take care of.”

“Dad,” Peter said, glancing over at Pepper. “I meant, what are you two going to do while I’m gone.”

“Kid we’re going to need to have a long discussion about boundaries,” Tony said, awkwardly glancing at Pepper. They had been dating now for over six months and while he was happy to have Pepper in his life, there were some awkward parts to it. Peter was used to having Pepper around, but not in this capacity. So neither Tony or Pepper wanted him to feel uncomfortable by their sudden change of relationship. While Tony absolutely wanted to kiss Pepper senseless every time he saw her, that wasn’t something he could do in front of his son. And if he wanted Pepper to stay over (which god, look at her, of course he did), it was something that had to be done subtly. And for the first few months, they were doing a good job of being subtle.

But then Peter went to wake Tony up one morning and found his dad not alone in bed. They weren’t doing anything at that moment, they were just sleeping, but it was enough that Peter started asking more questions about their relationship. It made Tony slightly uncomfortable, mostly because he didn’t want to screw his relationship with Pepper up.

“Why?” Peter asked.

“Because I’m your dad and there’s things about me you don’t need to know,” Tony said. Peter made a face and shrugged.

“Okay I guess,” Peter said. “Can I go get a snack?”

“Sure buddy,” Tony said. “Just no climbing on the counters.” Peter nodded and scurried off towards the jets’ kitchen. Tony sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“You raised a very inquisitive child,” Pepper said, looking up from the tablet. “Perhaps to his own detriment.”

“I want him to be curious about the world,” Tony said. “Not my personal life.”

“You know someday he’s going to learn about how you were before he was born, right?” Pepper asked and Tony grimaced.

“I hoped that raising a child would end that,” Tony said. “I’m not that guy anymore.”

“I know that,” Pepper said. “I mean you’re still impulsive and definitely don’t always think before you act and now seem to like putting yourself in life-threatening situations,”

“Not all of those were my fault.” Pepper made a face. “Shutting up, noted.”

“Thank you,” Pepper said. “You made some mistakes in your past and not everyone forgets. You just have to be ready for a day when Peter’s old enough to ask more forwards questions.”

“Can’t my kid just be little forever?” Tony asked with a sigh.

“No,” Pepper said. “He can’t.” Peter then came back out of the kitchen with a bag of goldfish in his hand. He walked over to his dad, munching on the orange snack. Tony scooped him up, pulling him into his lap.

“Dad,” Peter whined, trying to wriggle away.

“Nope you stay right here bambino,” Tony said, kissing his son’s face all over. The nine-year-old laughed, trying to stop his dad. Pepper watched the two with a smile on her face.

“What was that for?” Peter asked, when Tony finally stopped. Tony grabbed a handful of the snack from the bag in his son’s hand.

“Just felt like it,” Tony said, popping the snack in his mouth. Peter shook his head, but decided not to move. Tony smiled. Maybe his was son was getting older. Maybe he’d ask more questions about Tony’s personal life, both now and before he was born. But for now he was content with snacking on goldfish and listening to his son excitedly talk about ice skating with his best friend.

* * *

Tony woke up, Christmas morning with a smile on his face. He turned over slightly to see Pepper sleeping peacefully next to him. It had been a great couple of days in New York. While Peter spent time with May, Ben, and Ned, Tony did some SI work, including a special project he had working in New York. When he and Pepper weren’t working on that, he took her on every fancy date possible. She argued that she didn’t need costly wine and Broadway tickets to win her over, but it was clear she enjoyed it.

Peter had excitedly told Tony about all the things he had gotten up to. Between ice skating, playing in the snow, and marathoning the Star Wars movies, Peter had had a busy week. When May and Ben had brought him home the night before, he was clearly exhausted. Tony sat up slowly, stretching his arms and his back. Even with being on vacation, he still had to keep up his exercise schedule; he was still Iron Man after all. His moving must have woken Pepper, because her eyes fluttered open.

“Morning,” He said. She smiled, still not fully awake. “How about I make some coffee?”

“Sounds good,” She said. “I’m going to shower quick and get dressed.” Tony smiled and placed a kiss on her lips before getting out of the bed. He exited the room just as Pepper disappeared into the bathroom. He walked down the hall of the hotel suite. When he reached the main room, he was surprised to see Peter sitting on the couch and reading.

“Peter,” Tony said. The nine-year-old looked up. He then put the book down and ran over to Tony.

“Merry Christmas!” He said, hugging Tony. Tony chuckled and bent down, hugging his son back. He then let go and went towards the kitchen. Peter followed him.

“What are you doing up?” Tony asked, starting on the coffee.

“I woke up an hour ago,” Peter said. “And you asked me not to burst into your room in the morning anymore, so I just decided to read.” Tony sighed.

“You could have woken me up squirt,” Tony said as the coffee brewed.

“But you weren’t alone and that would have been rude,” Peter said with and shrug. Tony sighed and leaned back against the counter. He felt like he needed to have a real conversation with his kid about his relationship. Which freaked him out to no end.

“You’re okay with me and Pepper right?” Tony asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Peter asked, sitting down at the small kitchen table. “Pepper’s great. She always buys me the best books and helps me with my English homework.”

“Right,” Tony said. “But what I meant is are you okay with her and I being a couple?” Peter tilted his head, as if he was confused by the question. His curly brown hair bobbed the direction of his head as he did so.

“Are you happy?” Peter asked.

“Yeah.” Tony said.

“And is Pepper happy?” Tony nodded. “Well my teacher says that what’s important is that the people we love are happy.”

“I’m glad I pay so much for a school that is making you so wise o’ child of mine,” Tony said and Peter smiled.

“Dad,” Peter said, drawing out the a.

“Peter,” Tony said in the same way. Peter giggled and Tony smiled. He was glad he had the conversation with Peter and even more glad with how it turned out. “Alright, time to order breakfast. Go grab the room service menu for me.” Peter nodded and ran off to find the menu. Tony turned around and poured coffee in the mug. As he put the coffee pot down, he felt a delicate hand on his shoulder.

“Save some for me,” He turned around to see Pepper. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, with her bangs delicately hanging over her eyes. Tony smiled upon seeing her. He leaned forward and kissed her. “What was that for?”

“Just felt like it,” He said with a smile. Pepper smiled back before moving past him to get a coffee mug.

“Mhm,” She said with a knowing look. She turned back towards him and he poured some coffee into her mug. “And nothing to do with the conversation you and Peter just had?” Tony raised an eyebrow and put the coffee pot back in its place in the coffee maker.

“How much did you hear?” Tony asked.

“Enough,” She said, before kissing him again. “Remind me to spoil that precious little boy rotten.”

“Been doing that his whole life,” Tony said. “And yet somehow he’s still the best kid on earth.”

“Found it!” Peter shouted excitedly from across the room. The two adults turned to see the nine-year-old running over with the room service menu. “Hi Pepper! Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas sweetie,” Pepper said smiling at him. She walked over and leaned down, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “So what are we having for breakfast?” And Tony couldn’t help but smile watching the two interact.


	21. The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where are we going?”
> 
> “It’s a surprise.”
> 
> “How long until we get there?”
> 
> “Soon.”
> 
> “How soon is soon?”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“How long until we get there?”

“Soon.”

“How soon is soon?” Tony sighed and leaned back against the leather seat in the car. He had told Peter that his final Christmas gift was a surprise that they had to go see. Since he had said that, his overly-curious son had been bombarding him with questions. Tony tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to change. He glanced over at Pepper who had an amused expression on her face. She seemed to find his son’s endless questions to be hilarious.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Peter said. Tony exhaled and pulled the Audi up to a lot. “Are we here?”

“Yep,” Tony said, turning the car off. “Hop out squirt.” Peter got out of the car. Tony stood next to him as Pepper walked around the car to stand on the other side of Peter. They were standing in front of a lot with an incomplete building in front of them, “So what do you think?”

“What is it?” Peter asked, still staring up at the building.

“Well it wasn’t anything,” Tony said. Peter glanced up at his dad, confused. “But I bought the land and now we’re building a very tall building that’s going to be run by its own arc reactor.”

“Oh.” Peter said. “That’s cool.” Tony chuckled, knowing that Peter was still very confused. “How does this relate to the surprise you promised me?”

“This is the surprise buddy,” Tony said.

“I don’t get it,” Peter said. Tony smirked and ruffled his son’s hair.

“Once it’s fully built,” Tony began. “We’re going to move Stark Industries to New York City. And if the company is out here, then that’s where we’ll be.”

“Okay,” Peter said, slightly confused. A realization dawned on him. “Are we moving to New York?” Tony smiled and nodded. A big grin crossed Peter’s face. “Dad that’s so cool! I’ll be so close to Ned and Aunt May and Uncle Ben!”

“Yeah that’s the idea buddy,” Tony said. “So do you like it?”

“I love it!” Peter said, hugging his dad’s side. “It’s the coolest surprise ever!” Tony smiled and hugged his son back. “So where are we going to live?” Tony shook his head, an amused look on his face.

“Well your dad wants to make this a really tall building,” Pepper said. “So you guys will live here.”

“How tall?” Peter asked and Tony chuckled. Pepper’s phone started ringing and she smiled apologetically before stepping away to take the call. “Dad.” Peter’s voice was a bit quieter. “If we move out here, where’s Pepper going to live?”

“Well she’s the CEO buddy,” Tony said. “So she’ll move to New York too. And your Uncle Rhodey is in DC a lot more now and DC isn’t too far from here.”

“Dad can I ask you a question?” Tony nodded. “Pepper spends a lot of time with us, even more so than before. Why doesn’t she just live with us?” Tony’s eyes widened a little. “Is that something I’m not supposed to ask?”

“No it’s okay squirt,” Tony said. It was certainly something Tony had considered. He loved having Pepper around. She made him happy and she was great with Peter. But it was so early on. That couldn’t be considered normal, could it? Then again, nothing he did was ever normal. “Would you want her to?”

“Yeah,” Peter said. “Do you?”

“Well yeah,” Tony said.

“So why don’t you ask her to live with us?” Peter said. “I kind of feel like she won’t say no.” Tony glanced over at Pepper who was still on the phone. She made eye contact with him and smiled. He felt the same wonderful tingling sensation he had whenever he saw Pepper. He hoped that never went away. She ended the call and started to come back over.

“So what were you two talking about while I was gone?” Pepper asked, smiling down at Peter. Peter glanced at his dad, a wide grin on his face. Tony exhaled a chuckle, suddenly feeling very nervous.

“Just stuff,” Peter said, noticing how quiet his dad got. “Like how big this building is going to be. So much room.”

“Give it a rest kid,” Tony said, awkwardly chuckling. Pepper raised an eyebrow and Peter shrugged.

“I’m going to go wait by the car,” Peter said, walking away. Tony watched his son stand by the Audi, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“What was that all about?” Pepper asked, moving so she was standing right next to Tony. Tony laughed awkwardly again, his heart beating a little faster. “Are you okay?”

“Huh, yeah,” Tony said, shaking his hands a little. “Peter just made a few comments that got me thinking.”

“Clearly it’s also got you tongue tied,” Pepper said, with an amused look on her face. “Who knew the great Tony Stark could be at a loss for words?”

“I know a very gorgeous woman who always leaves me searching for the right things to say,” Pepper smiled and kissed his cheek.

“So what did Peter say?” Pepper asked, glancing over at the nine-year-old.

“He wanted to know where you were going to live in New York,” Tony said. “And kind of suggested that you live with us.”

“Oh,” Pepper said, a little surprised by the statement. She noticed Peter trying very hard not to watch the two adults. “And what do you think about that?”

“Do you mean how do I feel about the idea of waking up to you every morning?” Tony asked. Pepper smiled sweetly at him. “I’d be completely thrilled with that. And my kid adores you, which is obviously very important to me. But I guess, is it too soon? Like I’m trying really hard not to screw this up and I feel like taking this step too soon would screw it up.” Pepper stepped closer to him and kissed him. Tony relaxed a little, letting his hand rest on the small of her back.

“Do you think I would invest so much into this relationship if I thought you were going to screw this up?” She asked. Tony chuckled. “To answer your son’s idea, when the tower is built, I’d love to live with you both.”

“Yeah?” Tony said, a pleased smile on his face. He kissed her again. “Good. Now let’s go get my son before he explodes with impatience and curiosity.” Pepper laughed lightly, but nodded, sliding her hand in his. She smiled at him before they walked over to Peter.

“Well?” Peter asked and the two adults just smiled. Peter smiled brightly and hugged them both. Tony smiled down at his son and then at Pepper, glad for the little family that he had.


	22. A Summer in New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know,” Peter said, his eyes tearing up a bit. “It’s just... everything felt so normal and now,” He sighed and wiped away his tears. Pepper walked over to the bed and sat down. “I don’t like sharing my dad with the whole world, especially when it's so dangerous.”

Tony jogged up the stairs from the workshop, Peter trying to keep up with him. Pepper was going to be back from the office any minute, so they could head to the airport and Tony had, of course, gotten distracted in the lab. He needed to grab his stuff and his son’s stuff. He heard the ten-year-old huff, trying to keep up with his dad. Tony reached Peter’s room and turned to his son.

“Alright let’s go over the list of things that should be packed,” Tony said and Peter nodded. “Backpack?”

“Check!” Peter said, pointing to the backpack sitting on his bed. “With added Platy!” Tony smiled.

“Suitcases with clothes for the summer?” Tony asked.

“Check!” Peter said pointing to the two suitcases that were almost as big as he was. “Do you have everything packed dad?”

“Sure do,” Tony said. “And if we forget anything, we’ll just go buy some new stuff.” Peter giggled. “Are you excited to go to New York?”

“Yeah!” Peter said with a big smile. “I can’t wait!” Stark Tower wasn’t up and running yet, but it was fully built. While Tony and Pepper finished the last of the Tower and worked on transitioning Stark Industries from Malibu to New York, Peter was attending a science summer camp with Ned. Which both boys talked endlessly about whenever Tony let Peter call his best friend. Tony was also going to look at schools for Peter to start at in the fall.

Tony couldn’t believe that his son, that tiny baby he had once cradled in his arms, was getting ready to start middle school. His son was growing too. Sure, Peter was still pretty short. But when Tony first showed him the tower, he was still just barely above his hip. Now Peter was getting closer and closer to eye level with Tony’s arc reactor. He wondered if his genetics would mean that Peter would ever outgrow him. He didn’t know if he could handle that day. He didn’t even like to think about his son growing up.

“There you two are,” They both turned to the doorway to see Pepper, with Happy waiting behind her. Happy moved past Pepper and grabbed Peter’s suitcases.

“I’ll help you Uncle Happy!” Peter said grabbing his backpack and scurrying out of the room. Happy shook his head, an amused expression on his face, before carrying the suitcases out. Tony walked to the doorway.

“All set to go?” He asked and Pepper nodded.

“All calls have been made for disconnecting Stark Tower from the energy grid,” Pepper said. “We just need someone to flip the final switch.

“I think I know a guy,” Tony said with a smirk. Pepper smiled and he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Did I tell you that this new haircut is great? Because it is.” Pepper rolled her eyes but gave him a teasing grin.

“Let’s go before you get too many ideas,” Pepper said, pulling Tony down the hallway to the door. When they got to the car, Peter was already buckled in, talking excitedly to Happy. Happy was sitting in the front passenger seat, so Tony got into the driver’s seat. Pepper climbed into the back, sitting with the very excited ten-year-old.

“New York here we come!” Peter cheered, eliciting a chuckle from all the adults in the car.

* * *

Peter sat in the Penthouse of the Tower. Pepper and Tony had been working on something with the Tower since they arrived in New York. Peter had spent the time since he got there running around the Tower, Happy chasing after him. When he was done exploring, he decided to hang out in the Penthouse. He was sitting on the couch, eating his dinner. He could hear Pepper talking to his dad. His dad was out somewhere, in the Iron Man suit, setting up the tower. His dad said that their goal was to have Stark Tower run solely on an arc reactor, which was what they called clean energy. Peter was doing his best to know what that meant, but he was only ten. And anyways, the giant arc reactor in the building was pretty cool.

He set the plate down and wandered over to where Pepper was standing. She was staring at the holographic screen, biting her lip.

“How does it look?” Pepper asked, looking over the numbers.

“Like Christmas, but with more me.” Peter giggled and looked over the screen. He did his best to understand what the numbers that were popping up meant.

“What do you think sweetie?” Pepper said, getting Peter’s attention. “Because I certainly don’t understand what this screen is saying.” Peter smiled.

“Everything looks good,” Peter said. He pointed to a few bars. “My dad showed me those for the arc reactor in Malibu. Since they’re above a certain line, it means everything is running smoothly.” Pepper smiled.

“You’re so smart,” Pepper said, playfully tousling his hair. “Are you excited for science camp?” Peter nodded. He then heard a noise and turned towards the balcony. He could see his dad, in full Iron Man armor, landing on the balcony. He ran over to the door and waited.

“Hey squirt,” Tony said, ruffling his son’s hair. “You helping us get the Tower up and running?” Peter nodded. Tony smiled and they walked back over to where Pepper was standing.

“Levels are holding steady, I think,” Pepper said, glancing down at Peter. Peter smiled and nodded, eliciting a smile back from Pepper. “Now go finish your dinner sweetie.” Peter looked over at Tony, who ruffled his son’s hair. Peter then went back over to the table to keep eating. As he sat down and ate, he watched his dad and Pepper interact. Maybe it was because he was an observant kid, but there were always little things he noticed about how his dad interacted with Pepper. Sure, they still spoke in the same fast-paced manner they always had. But there was a difference to how close they stood. Or how Pepper’s hand tended to hover by Tony’s arm or his shoulder. Peter knew they probably acted different when he wasn’t in the room, but he knew one thing for sure.

They were both happy.

“Tell you what,” Tony said walking over to the table. He was holding a glass of champagne. Pepper followed, her bare feet padding against the tiled floor. “Next building’s going to say Potts on the Tower.”

“On the lease,” Pepper retorted. Tony walked over and stood behind Peter’s chair. He was about to say something when his phone began ringing.

“Sir the telephone,” JARVIS’s voice cut in. “I’m afraid my protocols are being overridden.” Tony sighed and took the phone out. An image of the strange agent that Peter remembered from his dad’s infamous press conference appeared.

“Stark, we need to talk.”

“You have reached the Life Model Decoy of Tony Stark,” Peter put a hand over his mouth and started to giggle. “Please leave a message.” Even Pepper laughed lightly at Tony’s antics. The three of them then heard the elevator ding.

“Security breach,” Tony said, giving Pepper a knowing look. She rolled her eyes. “Peter, would you mind going to your room.”

“But we were going to watch a movie,” The ten-year-old said, pouting. Tony gave him a look and Peter sighed. He stood from the table and walked out of the main room of the Penthouse. He paused in the hallway, hidden from the adults to try and hear what they were saying.

“We need you to look this over,” He heard the agent. “As soon as possible.” Peter sighed and his head dropped. He was looking forward to watching a movie with his dad and Pepper. But that seemed unlikely to happen now. He sulked his way to his room and sat down on his bed.

“JARVIS, can you turn on my TV?” Peter asked.

“What channel young sir?” The AI inquired.

“Whatever’s on,” The boy said with a sigh. The TV turned on to a kid’s channel and Peter leaned back against his pillows, half-heartedly watching the show. He knew his dad being Iron Man meant things like this could happen at any time. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when they did. He couldn't stand the possibility of his dad getting hurt again. He didn't voice his concern to his dad because his dad was the adult and he was a child. But while being Iron Man was cool, it was also dangerous. And Peter was always scared when he disappeared to deal with a problem.

“Peter?” Pepper popped her head into the room. She sighed sadly when she noticed the look on his face. “I just wanted to say bye. I’m heading to DC for a few days for work.”

“Okay,” Peter said, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

“Happy will drive you to your first day of camp tomorrow,” Pepper said. “And May will pick you up.”

“Does that mean I’m staying in Queens?” Pepper nodded and Peter sighed. He loved his aunt and uncle. But the last time he went to Queens, his dad was dying and hadn't told him. How was he supposed to just accept this again? What if something bad happened and Peter didn't know? What if his dad almost died again or worse, actually did die?

“I’m sorry sweetie,” Pepper said. “But your dad has work to do. Iron Man work.”

“I know,” Peter said, his eyes tearing up a bit. “It’s just... everything felt so normal and now,” He sighed and wiped away his tears. Pepper walked over to the bed and sat down. “I don’t like sharing my dad with the whole world, especially when it's so dangerous.”

“But you don’t sweetie,” Pepper said. “Your dad loves you and always puts you first. I know it's scary, but he's doing all of this to protect you because there are a lot of bad people out there.”

“I know,” Peter said, still frowning. “I just wish it meant that I didn’t have to be away from him so much when he did it.” Pepper sighed and hugged him.

“It’ll get better sweetie,” Pepper said, before pushing some of his curls out of the way and kissing his forehead. He wanted to ask her how she dealt with it. How she watched his dad go through so many dangerous things and continue to be okay. But he didn't. “I promise.” Peter nodded. “I’ll see you in a few days, okay?” Pepper then got up and left the room. Peter sighed before standing up.

If he was going to be stuck at his aunt and uncles’ for a few days, the least he could do was pack now.

* * *

A few hours later, Peter found that he couldn’t sleep. He had been staring at the ceiling, trying every way to fall asleep. His new room at the Tower didn’t have the night light stars that his room in Malibu did. His dad has asked him if he wanted that. Peter had said no, because he was ten now and he didn’t need a nightlight. But he was starting to miss the familiarity. He sighed, deciding if he couldn’t sleep that he would go find his dad.

Peter padded his way down the hallway, seeing the light in the living room of the Penthouse still on. He spotted his dad sitting on the couch, staring at something on his tablet. He seemed focused and Peter almost felt bad for interrupting him.

“Dad?” Tony looked up from the tablet.

“What are you doing up buddy?” Tony asked. Peter shrugged and walked over to the couch. He sat down next to his dad and Tony put the tablet down. He wrapped his arm around his son and Peter leaned against his side.

“Couldn’t sleep,” The boy muttered. Tony nodded, not exactly believing his son, but not pushing the issue.

“Are you excited for camp tomorrow?” Peter shrugged. “What’s wrong bambino?”

“Pepper told me you weren’t driving me to camp,” Peter said, sniffling a little. “Or picking me up. I know the agent man,”

“Agent Coulson,” Tony said, correcting his son. Peter huffed.

“I know Agent Coulson came by because you need to go be Iron Man,” Peter said, his eyes tearing up. “But I just really wanted you to be there for my first day of camp.” Tony sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head. Peter sniffed and wiped as his eyes, trying desperately not to cry.

“I’m sorry Peter,” Tony said, moving his hand from Peter’s shoulder to run through his son’s hair. “Something came up. Something that could be really, really bad. Agent Coulson and the agency he works for need my help.”

“Can’t they need your help another day?” Peter asked miserably. He knew what would happen. It would be like all the other times where his dad had to be Iron Man. He would be busy trying to solve all these problems and stop the bad guys, that Peter wouldn’t see him for days, even weeks. And he would be scared, worried, and even miserable the whole time. 

“That’s unfortunately not how it works.” Peter’s lip quivered. He wrapped his arm around his dad’s midsection and buried his face in his shirt. “I know and I’m so sorry buddy.” He held Peter closely, pressing kisses into his hair. “Tell you what, this time, I will call you every day, okay? I won’t go radio silent. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I got.”

“Okay,” Peter said, lifting his head up. “I guess that’s fine.” Tony smiled sadly. It was easy to argue that Iron Man was a good thing when he was doing good and when his son saw him as a hero. But seeing Peter so miserable by this new mission he had to go on, he wasn’t too sure.

“I love you, bambino, you know that right?” Peter nodded. “Good. Now I promised you a movie night.”

“Really?” Peter asked, wiping a few tears away. Tony nodded.

“You’re awake, I’m awake, might as well right?” Peter smiled slightly and hugged his dad tightly. “JARVIS, choose a movie from Peter’s playlist.” The movie turned on and Peter snuggled into Tony’s side. Tony carded his hand through Peter’s hair, watching as his son slowly drifted off. He felt guilty for having to leave for a few days, but this was a serious situation. He became Iron Man to protect himself and Peter. But the list of people who needed to be protected had grown with this situation. He had a job to do and he hoped that his son would be okay while he did it.


	23. Dumb Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I turned the news on,” Ben said, smugly. May made a face and Ben kissed her cheek. “Stroke of luck.”
> 
> "Dumb luck,” May said. “Now go help our nephew order food.”

Happy drove Peter to camp the next day. Peter was excited about science camp, but he was also disappointed that his dad wasn’t there. He tried to hide it, especially when he found Ned and realized they were in the same group. Ned couldn’t stop talking about camp. He was loving every second of it. Peter wanted to have fun to and even found himself getting lost in the activities. He had almost forgot his disappointment.

Until pick-up time came.

After getting to start an experiment on plant growth, Peter actually found himself having a good time. But then they had to clean up and wait for their parents to come pick them up. Or in Peter’s case, his aunt. When Peter saw his aunt, he had to force his shoulders not to slump.

“Hi sweetie,” May said sweetly. “Ready to go?” Peter nodded. He waved to Ned and followed his aunt. They took the subway back to Queens, something Peter had never experienced before. It would have been cool, if he wasn’t in such a rotten mood. When they got back to the apartment, Peter just sat on the couch, not saying much. May tried to get him to open up, to say something. But Peter just kept his answers to minimum responses. He felt bad for not talking to his aunt much, but it was hard to be in a good mood.

By the time Ben came back from work, May had given up on trying to find her excitable nephew. She knew he was in a mood because of his dad having to leave and she knew there wasn’t much she could do.

“Hey sweetheart,” Ben said, kissing May on the cheek. He noticed Peter, on the couch, a sad look on his face as he watched TV. “Pete okay?”

“He’s upset,” May said. “It’s not as bad as last time, but he’s usually so excited and so full of energy and conversation. And today I can’t get more than two words out of him.” She sighed.

“Let me take a whack at it,” Ben said. He walked over to the couch and sat down. Peter glanced at him. “Hey kiddo. Good day at camp?”

“Yeah,” Peter said, his shoulders sulking.

“Cool,” Ben said. “Mind if I change the channel?” Peter shrugged and Ben took the remote. May watched, slightly exasperated. How was that any different than what she tried? Ben clicked a few numbers on the remote and the news came on.

“Why do adults even watch this stuff?” Peter asked. Ben glanced over at May, a wry smile on his face. May rolled her eyes.

“It’s informative,” Ben said. “And sometimes there’s like human interest pieces.” He was glad his idea was working.

Until a news report about Iron Man came on.

“In international news,” A balding man with black glasses began. “The heroes known as Iron Man and Captain America stopped an unknown attacker in Stuttgart, Germany. Lesley Spencer has the story.” Peter’s eyes widened.

“Change the channel Ben,” May hissed, watching Peter carefully.

“No,” Peter said. “They called my dad a hero.” He watched the news, his mouth slightly agape as they reported how Iron Man and Captain America stopped someone from attacking a gala in Germany. Ben watched Peter, to see the boy’s reaction.

“Captain America, huh?” Ben said, glancing back at the TV. “I thought he was a legend.”

“My dad said that my grandpa helped make the serum that made Captain America,” Peter said.

“Did he now?” Ben asked. “I’ve never heard you talk about your grandfather.” Peter shrugged.

“I don’t think he and my dad got along,” Peter said. “My dad doesn’t talk about him.” He glanced over at May when the news story ended. “Aunt May, what’s for dinner?”

“I was going to order Thai food,” May said, ignoring the relieved chuckle from Ben. “Do you want to help me?” Peter nodded and scurried into the kitchen to find the menu. Ben stood up and walked over to May.

“If you say anything,” May said quietly. “I will backhand you into next week Benjamin Parker.” Ben laughed loudly and May rolled her eyes. “Besides, you didn’t do anything.”

“I turned the news on,” Ben said, smugly. May made a face and Ben kissed her cheek. “Stroke of luck.”

“Dumb luck,” May said. “Now go help our nephew order food.”

“Yes ma’am,” Ben said, before kissing her on the lips. “Love you.”

“Mhmm keep sweet talking me,” May said. “I might forgive you.” Ben chuckled before walking over to Peter, who was pouring over the Thai food menu. She chuckled to herself and sighed before walking over as well.

* * *

Peter sat in his room in the Queens apartment. It was almost time for him to go to sleep. He was tired but he wanted to stay awake. His dad was supposed to call any minute. He had promised and Peter was hoping that he was going to keep his promise.

“Peter?” May poked her head in. “Your dad’s on the phone.” She held the apartment cordless phone out and Peter ran over. He took the phone and then May stepped out.

“Dad?”

“ _ Hey buddy _ ,” Peter smiled and sat down on his bed. “ _ How was your first day of camp?” _

“It was cool!” Peter said. “We played name games and then started an experiment on what impacts plant growth. And Ned’s in my group so we get to work together.” He heard a happy sigh from Tony.

“ _ That’s good buddy _ ,” Tony said.

“Is it true you fought with Captain America?” Peter asked. “Uncle Ben turned on the news and they were reporting on it. Is it true?”

“ _ Yeah it is _ ,” Tony said.

“Can I tell Ned?” Peter asked. “He loves reading comics about Captain America.” He heard his dad chuckle.

“ _ Sure thing buddy _ ,” Tony said. “ _ Listen I have to go, but I just wanted to keep my promise and call. I love you Peter.” _

“I love you too dad,” Peter said. “I hope you get the bad guy.”

“ _ Me too bambino _ ,” Tony said. “ _ Get some rest and enjoy camp tomorrow _ .”

“Bye dad,” Peter said. He ended the call and walked out of the room. May and Ben were sitting on the couch. May had her legs on Ben’s lap and was leaning back against a pillow, reading a book. Ben was watching the TV. Ben looked up from the TV.

“All good kiddo?” Ben asked as Peter handed him the phone. Peter nodded. “Good, night small fry.”

“Someday I’m going to be taller than you,” Peter said, sticking his tongue out at his uncle.

“I’ve met your father kid,” Ben said. “That ain't never happening.” May reached over and swatted at Ben’s arm.

“Be nice to our nephew,” May said.

“Yeah be nice to me Uncle Ben,” Peter said. Ben rolled his eyes and then grabbed Peter by the sides, tickling him. He pulled him towards the couch, Peter giggling loudly. “Aunt May!” May lifted her foot and started poking Ben in the side until he stopped.

“Alright Pete, time to go to bed,” Ben ruffled Peter’s hair.

“Good night!” Peter said before running off to his room. Peter crawled into bed, a happy smile on his face. The day had started off pretty crappy, but after a call from his dad, Peter felt much better.

* * *

Tony sighed as he ended the call. All he wanted to do was go home. Something about this whole situation bothered him. Loki giving up so easily, Thor showing up. It all felt wrong. And even worse, he had to deal with stupid Captain America. He grew up hating Captain America because of how much his father talked about him. Looking at the super soldier now, Tony didn’t understand why; there was nothing special about him.

Tony wished he was at the Tower right now. He wished he was sitting with Peter, listening to his son talk about camp. He wished he was sitting on the couch, listening to Pepper talk about her day. He just wanted to be home.

“Stark,” He looked up from where he was standing to see Natasha. It was strange, seeing her again. He didn’t necessarily trust the spy, especially after she so easily lied to him. Maybe it was because she had outsmarted him. Or maybe it was because he let her spend time with his son.

“Agent Romanoff,” Tony said, breezing past her. Her heard her light footsteps follow. “Can I help you?”

“I can assume you were talking to Peter,” Tony stopped. “How is he?” He turned around, trying to even his breath.

“He is none of your business Agent Romanoff,” Tony said. “And yes, my son does know that you’re a spy, but I left out the part where you lied to infiltrate my company.”

“I was keeping tabs on you not your company,” Natasha said, rolling her eyes. “And I would have never put your son in harm's way.”

“Let’s not talk about my son, shall we?” Tony said. “Because while I’m stuck here dealing with this, I’m not with my kid. So let’s just get this all over with so I can go home.”

“Okay.” Tony then stalked off. He had work to do so that he could go home. He needed to get off that godforsaken helicarrier and go back home to his son and to Pepper.


	24. The Battle of New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stark,” Ben’s gruff voice came through. “To what do I owe the pleasure.”
> 
> “Keep Peter out of Manhattan,” Tony said. “Yourself and May as well. Just trust me on that one.” He hoped the urgency of his voice was coming through. He needed his son to be safe and he needed to know he was far away from any of the danger that was coming towards them.
> 
> “Done,” Ben said. “Godspeed with whatever you’re doing.”

Tony couldn’t believe his stupidity. How had he not figured out that his own damn tower was the source of power that Loki was looking for? It was so obvious. And if Loki got his hands on it, he could level Manhattan with his army.

A thought dawned on him suddenly.

“JARVIS, call Ben Parker,” Tony said urgency in his voice. As he flew towards the tower, he felt the stress in his body start to rise.

“ _ Stark _ ,” Ben’s gruff voice came through. “ _ To what do I owe the pleasure _ .”

“Keep Peter out of Manhattan,” Tony said. “Yourself and May as well. Just trust me on that one.” He hoped the urgency of his voice was coming through. He needed his son to be safe and he needed to know he was far away from any of the danger that was coming towards them.  


“ _ Done _ ,” Ben said. “ _ Godspeed with whatever you’re doing _ .” Tony let out an exhale as the call ended. 

* * *

 

Ben immediately went to Peter’s camp after his call with Tony and picked him up. It was clear that something was about to happen. He also called Ned’s mother and suggested she pick Ned up as well, which she did. Peter seemed annoyed that he had to leave early, especially when Ben wouldn’t tell him why. Finally, when they were safely back at the apartment, Peter spoke up.

“Why did you bring me here?” Peter asked, frowning at his uncle. Ben looked around nervously. May, suddenly and very quickly, entered the apartment. Ben let out a breath and went over to her, pulling her into a hug.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

“Yeah Uncle Ben,” Peter said. “What’s going on?” Ben sighed and sat down on the couch. May sat down next to him, seeing the stress on his face.

“Your dad called me,” Ben said. “Said I needed to get all of us out of Manhattan. Then after I picked you up, I heard on the news that something was going on at Stark Tower.” Peter paled a little and May frowned. “Something bad is happening down there.” Peter’s lip quivered. May opened her arms and Peter sat down in between her and Ben, allowing May’s arms to envelope him in a hug.

“Is my dad going to be okay?” Peter asked, a few tears slipping down his face. Why did this keep happening? Why was his dad always in such dangerous situations? May kissed the top of his head.

“You listen here small fry,” Ben said. “Your dad has gotten himself out of some really, really bad situations before right?” Peter nodded, wiping a few of his tears away, His uncle had a point. It didn’t quell the fear, but it certainly lessened it. “So I got a feeling he’s going to get out of this one.”

“And stop the bad guys?”

“And stop the bad guys,” Ben said.

“Can we watch the news?” Peter asked. May looked at Ben, uncertainty on her face. He knew turning the news on meant seeing every station probably reporting on what was going on. But he also felt like Peter would go crazy if he didn’t allow the news to be on. Ben nodded and picked up the remote. The TV was already on the local news. Peter watched, sniffling a little, as May wiped a few stray tears away.

Ben watched the TV, his jaw hardened from the stress. He knew there were cops down in Manhattan doing their job. Those were his people. He might not know them by name, by they were his brothers and sisters in arms all the same. And they were completely unprepared for whatever was coming. He had read enough about what Tony Stark had been up against since building his suit. He had heard about what happened in New Mexico. The world was changing and the force that he had spent most of his fighting with was in no way shape or form ready for this new world.

But Tony Stark was.

Ben hated Tony Stark from the minute Mary had uttered his name. The hatred had stemmed from the fact that he had slept with his brother’s wife (okay girlfriend at the time, but details). Richard had been so distraught that he had let Mary get away from him and even more so when he found out her one-night-stand had led to a pregnancy. He knew his little brother loved Mary with all his heart and was an idiot for letting her go. Richard was the romantic while Mary was the practical one. But then she came back to him and they got married. Ben had thought that they were going to raise the baby together, even if it wasn’t Richard’s.

But then Mary decided she didn’t want to be a mother and to leave the child with the father. Richard didn’t get a say in that decision, simply because it wasn’t his child. He knew his brother would have raised Peter as his own, but it was Mary’s choice in the end. May, who adored Mary, was disappointed in that decision. He remembered nights were May just ranted and raved over Mary’s refusal to be a mother and how lucky she was to even get the chance to have a child. It had nearly killed Ben to see how upset it made her, especially knowing there was no way he could fix their own situation.

And then Ben had met Tony Stark. He had read enough about the billionaire in the news to already not like him. The man was a chauvinistic pig who made his fortune off of building and selling weapons. And Tony had carried himself in such a cocky way, like he was so wonderful for letting Ben and May be in Peter’s life. He hated Tony on principle and then he hated him based on his actions.

But a part of him, a very small part of him at first, could see that Tony was a good father. Peter was probably the politest and kind kid he had ever met (and no he wasn’t biased). He didn’t know how Tony Stark managed to raise such a good kid, but he did. But when Tony disappeared, Ben had no sympathy. He had known plenty of good men who had gone into a dangerous war-zone and not come back. How could Tony Stark survive? And yet he did, over and over again. The guy somehow managed to come back from every tough situation. And Ben knew why.

It was because of Peter.

Ten years ago, Ben hated Tony Stark. Now, a part of him respected him. He didn’t agree with everything Tony did, but he did his best to put Peter first. And to Ben, that was good enough.

* * *

Fighting the Chitauri was nothing like Tony had ever experienced. They were seriously out matched, even with the advancements of his suit, two spies, a super soldier, a Hulk, and a literal god. The only way to stop them was to send them back through the wormhole.

And Tony was the only one who could get them back there.

As he blasted towards the wormhole, he thought about his son. He needed to protect his son from the Chitauri and whatever else was out there. He needed to know the world was safe for his son.

“JARVIS, call the Parkers,” Tony said as he blasted, closer and closer to the wormhole. He listened as the phone rang and rang. When it went to voicemail, Tony sighed and ended the cal.

“Sir, shall I call Ms. Potts?” Tony sighed as he moved closer and closer to the wormhole.

“Might as well,” He said. And then he listened again as the phone rang and rang. When he flew through the portal, he saw the true horror that was waiting for him on the end. Everything in him froze, both out of fear and because of the altitude. He let go of the missile, knowing it was the only hope. And then, he was falling. It felt like the end for him. He closed his eyes, knowing that if he was gone, at least the world would be safe for the people he loved.

* * *

“No!” The news was showing Iron Man, flying up into the air, pulling a missile with him. The strange ships that had been attacking New York were chasing after him. Peter watched helplessly, his eyes filling with tears. May hugged him tightly, trying to comfort the ten-year-old. "Dad, no!"

“C’mon Stark,” Ben muttered. And then the news report cut out and Peter let out a sob.

“Dad?” Peter asked desperately, staring at the screen. His vision was blurry from tear. He gasped out a sob. What happened? Where did this dad go? He looked at May and Ben. “Is he going to be okay?”

“I don’t know kid,” Ben said solemnly. “I don’t know.” And then Peter burst into tears. May just hugged him, whispering comforting words to him as Ben watched helplessly. They all sat there for what felt like ages, waiting for something, anything. The only sound in the apartment was Peter's sobs and May's gentle whispers.

“Our field reporters are unable to show live footage,” The news anchor began. “But we can report that the hero known as Iron Man has safely returned to Earth and is being reported alive.” Peter choked out another sob, relief flooding through him. May kept her arms tightly wrapped around him.

“Told you kid,” Ben said, exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding. “That dad of yours knows how to survive.” He leaned over and ruffled Peter’s hair, eliciting somewhat of a smile from Peter. They all continued to watch the news, hoping for updates.

* * *

Fury wanted to debrief the Avengers on the Chitauri attack and what would happen next. Thor decided that both the Tesseract and Loki would go back to Asgard with him and no one was going to argue with a god. He offered them all a place to stay with SHIELD until Thor was ready to return Loki to Asgard.

But Tony had a better idea.

“Only the Penthouse of the Tower sustained damage,” He said. “And it’s a pretty massive building.” So all the Avengers were going back to the Tower. Tony had some ideas involving remodeling, but he wanted to run them by Pepper.

“I’ve called ahead,” Tony said to the others. “So you should be able to get in. 70th floor is where you going to want to go.”

“You’re not coming?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. Tony glanced at Natasha, who gave him a knowing look.

“Just something I have to do first,” Tony said. “But I’ll meet you there.” Then, without another word, he got into his car and drove. He pressed on the gas as he drove the familiar route to Queens. When he finally got to the Parker’s apartment building, he nearly flew up the stairs to their door. All he could think about was seeing his son, holding his son, and just wishing away the memories plaguing his subconscious.

“Son of gun,” Ben said, opening the door. Tony smirked, before nearly pushing past Ben to get inside. Peter looked up from the couch. When he saw his dad, he disentangled himself from May and nearly ran at him. Tony crouched down to envelope his son in a tight hug, burying his face in his son’s messy curls.

“Dad,” Peter sobbed into his shirt. Tony wrapped his arms tighter around Peter, needing his son to feel any sort of comfort. “I was so scared.”

“I’m sorry buddy,” Tony whispered. “But I’m okay. We’re okay.” He held Peter, trying to even his breath, trying to stay calm. But hearing his son cry hit a guilty nerve that had been more and more exposed over the last few years. Peter finally looked up, his big doe eyes still red with tears.

“Please don't do that again,” Peter whispered, loud enough for only his dad to hear. Tony kissed the top of his head and sighed. He didn't know if that was a promise he could make. Peter looked up at him. Tony wiped a few tears away from Peter's face. Peter seemed to understand his dad's silence and simply hugged him tighter. He glanced up at Ben and May, who were standing by the couch, Ben’s hand on May’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” He said simply. Ben nodded and May gave him a small smile. He stood up, letting go of his hold on Peter.

“Can we go home now?” Peter asked. Tony ruffled his hair.

“Yeah buddy,” Tony said, relief flooding through him. “We can. I’ll send Happy over to get his stuff, if that’s alright.”

“Sure,” May said, knowing that both Peter and Tony probably needed each other at that moment. “But we’ll see you this weekend, right Peter?” Peter nodded and scurried over to them, giving them both a hug. He then followed Tony out of the apartment.

“I have a surprise for you, bambino,” Tony said as Peter got into the backseat of the car. “It’s back at the Tower.” Peter nodded. Tony couldn't help but wonder what his son was going to think of the rest of the Avengers. He also wondered what the Avengers were going to think of his ten-year-old son.


	25. Meeting the Avengers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stark,” Steve began, watching the interaction with an unsure gaze. “Who is this child?” Natasha stood up and put a hand protectively on Peter’s shoulder.
> 
> “This child,” Tony said, walking over to where Peter was. “Is my son, Peter.”

Peter stuck close to his dad as they rode the elevator. His dad has explained that the Penthouse and some of the top floors were damaged from what happened, but the rest of the building was fine. His dad has pressed the button to the 70th, where Peter knew there were an assortment of living quarters. His dad said he designed it as place for the workers of Stark Industries to go if they were working overtime and needed to relax, or if they were working out of the New York office but were stationed normally in California. Supposedly there was a kitchen and a common area there too. It wasn’t as nice as the one that had been in the Penthouse, but it would do.

When the elevator reached the floor and they stepped out, Tony could hear voices. They followed the sounds to the common area. Tony spotted the Avengers standing on one side. Bruce looked mildly uncomfortable, as always, and Thor looked confused. Steve and Clint were both standing in defensive poses, unsure of the other people in the room. Natasha was standing in the middle, as if she was brokering peace. On the other side stood Happy, Pepper, and Rhodey, all staring at the other Avengers with unsure glances. Tony stepped into the room and cleared his throat.

“Tony,” Pepper said, a breath she didn’t know she was holding being released. She crossed the room to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Tony rested his forehead against hers.

“You had me so worried,” Pepper whispered. Tony sighed.

“I’m sorry,” He said. “Can we talk more later?” Pepper nodded and glanced at Peter. She stepped away from him. Peter looked around the room, not recognizing half of the people there. But then he saw a familiar head of red hair and smiled.

“Nat!” He said excitedly. He ran over to her and she squatted down.

“Hi Peter,” Natasha said warmly. “You’ve gotten so big since the last time I saw you.”

“I’m still the shortest kid in my class,” Peter said. “Or I was. I’m starting a new school in fall! Here in New York! And I’m going to get to go to school with my friend Ned.” Natasha smiled and fixed a few stray hairs. She had missed the excitable boy. He smiled at her, indicating that he had missed her too.

“Stark,” Steve began, watching the interaction with an unsure gaze. “Who is this child?” Natasha stood up and put a hand protectively on Peter’s shoulder.

“This child,” Tony said, walking over to where Peter was. “Is my son, Peter.”

“Your son?” Steve asked, glancing back and forth between Tony and the small boy standing in front of Natasha.

“Didn’t you hold a press conference about him years ago?” Bruce asked, timidly stepping towards the boy.

“Yes,” Tony said. “To threaten to shut down any news outlets if they tried to publish photos of my son.” He heard Rhodey chuckle and Pepper just shook her head. Peter walked over to Steve.

“Is it true you knew my grandfather?” Peter asked.

“Yes,” Steve said. It was hard to believe that the man he met in the 1940’s would’ve had a family. But he sensed from Tony’s responses to him that perhaps Howard hadn’t been the best father. That didn’t surprise him; Howard Stark never struck him as a family man. But glancing down at the boy in front of him, he could see the Stark resemblance. The messy brown hair, the big brown eyes, all traits that he remembered from having interacted with Howard Stark. The only difference was there was a kindness in Peter’s eyes that Steve hadn’t seen before.

“Cool,” Peter said. “My friend Ned thinks you’re cool! He's got all the comic books about you.” Steve smiled, immediately charmed by the boy. Natasha walked over and guided Peter over to where Clint was.

“Peter,” She said, with a smile on her face. “This is my friend Clint.”

“Hey kid,” Clint said. Peter smiled and looked up at Natasha.

“Is he a spy like you?” Peter whispered and Natasha chuckled.

“And who told you I was a spy?” Natasha asked, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer. Peter shrugged, a small smile playing on his face. “And yes.”

“Cool.” Peter said, earning a grin from Clint. Clint reached down and ruffled Peter’s hair. He then spotted Bruce standing near Rhodey. Peter ran over and hugged Rhodey.

“There’s my favorite nephew,” Rhodey said, a big grin on his face. “At least there’s something good about this day.” Tony was sure Rhodey was getting an earful from the federal government about the Avengers. He was also pretty sure Rhodey was mad that Tony hadn’t called him. Not that leaving Rhodey out was his idea, but he couldn’t exactly explain that. Bruce squatted down so he was at Peter’s height.

“Hi Peter,” Bruce said, a somewhat awkward smile on his face. “I’m,” Peter cut him off.

“Dr. Bruce Banner,” Peter said. “I know. One of the teachers at my science camp has a poster of you in the lab. She says you’re like the smartest scientist who ever lived.” Bruce was taken aback by Peter’s comment. He glanced over at Tony.

“Your son knows who I am?” He asked, a little shocked. He was also shocked that Peter was focusing on him and not the big green guy. 

“Apparently,” Tony said with a smirk. “What can I say, genius is an inherited trait.”

“Dad,” Peter said. “We both know it’s more complicated than that.”

“How smart are you?” Bruce asked, genuinely curious. Peter shrugged.

“I’ve never actually given him an IQ test,” Tony said. “I meant to. Never did though.” Bruce nodded, a smile on his face and stood up. Peter wandered away. “Why? You want to test my son’s intelligence?”

“I mean,” Bruce said with a shrug. “Definitely something you should look in to.” Peter, who wasn’t listening anymore, then walked over to Thor and stared up at him.

“So you are the son of the man of Iron?” Thor asked, his as large as his stature. Peter nodded. “It is a pleasure to meet you Starkson. I am Thor of Asgard.”

“Wow,” Peter said, simply taken aback by the sheer size and grandeur of the god in front of him. “Can you really control thunder?” Thor nodded. “That’s so cool!” Thor smiled.

“And what can you do Starkson?” Thor asked.

“I’m really good at science,” Peter said proudly. “And building Legos.”

“What are these Legos you speak of?” Peter’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Is this a Midgard toy?”

“It’s the best thing ever!” Peter said. Every adult in the room smiled at the small boy’s excitability. “Dad, can I show him?”

“Sure squirt,” Tony said. “I think there’s a box of Legos somewhere in here. There’s a box of Legos in every room in this building, I just don’t know where.”

“You’re a billionaire and you buy Legos,” Rhodey said. “Fatherhood has softened you man.” Tony rolled his eyes but smirked. He nodded to Peter and the kid ran off, Thor following him. Natasha and Clint decided to tag along as well.

“Nice kid,” Steve said. “Looks a lot like you.” He wanted to point out that Peter also looked like Howard, but he had a feeling Tony wouldn’t appreciate the sentiment. Tony nodded and then Steve wandered away, not sure what else to say. Tony let out a sigh as Pepper walked up to him, wrapping her hand around his.

“We need to have a long discussion about you putting yourself into death-defying situations,” Pepper said.

“And not calling me for backup,” Rhodey added. Tony sighed and patted Rhodey’s shoulder with his free hand.

“Next time,” Tony said. Rhodey smirked and shook his head. “Happy, I need a few favors.” He then walked towards Happy, Pepper keeping in step with him. As he spoke, he looked around the room and took in the scene. Bruce and Steve were talking over by one of the windows, Steve his hands on his hips and Bruce timidly holding his hands together. Clint and Natasha were sitting on the couch in the room, Natasha watching Peter with a protective gaze. Peter had found the bucket of Legos and was explaining how they worked to Thor, who was sitting opposite of him on the floor. Tony sighed, feeling content. After Happy walked away, Rhodey with him to help out, Pepper wrapped her around Tony’s neck, his fingers gently tracing the collar of his T-shirt.

“Everything okay?” She asked, looking directly into his brown eyes. He sighed again.

“It will be,” He said, before gently pulling her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he breathed in, a wondrous combination of her perfume and conditioner filling his senses. He was going to be okay. He was sure of it.

* * *

Tony sat, on what was going to be for the time being be, Peter’s bed, later that evening. His son was sitting up, already in his pajamas. He had built Legos with Thor for hours. It was actually adorable to watch his son play with an actual god and he was sure Pepper snapped a few pictures. And Peter was obsessed with the model of Asgard that Thor had built out of Legos. The rest of the Avengers were staying the evening before dispersing in the morning. They were still in the common room, but Peter was ten and ten-year-olds had bedtimes. Even if their dad had just saved New York.

“Dad,” Peter said, as Tony pulled the covers up to tuck him in. Then ten-year-old slid down onto he was no longer sitting up. “What happens now? Like with the Avengers, the tower, everything.”

“Well we all go our separate ways until we’re needed,” Tony said. “Thor has to go back to Asgard. Clint and Natasha have spy stuff to do.”

“What’s Captain America going to do?” Peter asked.

“Adapt to the twenty-first century,” Tony said with a shrug, earning a smile from Peter. “He doesn’t even know how to use a cell phone.” Peter giggled at that.

“And Dr. Banner?”

“I was kind of thinking,” Tony said. “Once the labs on the upper floors were re-built, that he’d do some work here with me.”

“Cool,” Peter said. “Are we still going to live here even though the weird alien things destroyed the upper floors.” Tony tried to quell the feeling in him and to push through the fear bubbling up when Peter mentioned the Chitauri.

“Of course buddy,” Tony said. “We’ll get those top floors patched up in no time. And if the re-building gets too loud or noisy, I’m sure your aunt and uncle wouldn’t mind having you over for a few days.”

“Okay,” Peter said. Tony smiled and kissed his son’s forehead. “What was that for?”

“What?” Tony asked. “I can’t show love and affection to my own offspring?” Peter made a face and Tony tickled his sides. Peter’s laughter filled the room, accompanied by a few chuckles from Tony.

“I thought you were putting him to bed not hyping him up,” They both glanced over at the door. Pepper was leaning against the doorframe, a slight smile on her face.

“Dad started it,” Peter said, pointing at his dad. Tony gaped and held a hand over his heart.

“Sold out by my own son,” Tony said. “I’ll never recover.” Peter giggled.

“I just came to say good night,” Pepper said. “I am also heading to bed.” She glanced at Tony and he smirked.

“Gross,” Peter said and Tony scoffed at his son. Peter smirked and Pepper rolled her eyes, not surprised that Peter was starting to inherit some of Tony’s awful humor.

“Good night Peter,” Pepper said.

“Night Pepper,” She smiled before walking out of the room, closing the door slightly.

“Alright bambino,” Tony said. “It’s time for you to get some sleep.”

“Dad,” Peter said, his voice suddenly a little quieter. After all he had witnessed today, he didn't want his dad to leave the room just yet “Could you stay here, until I fall asleep? I know I’m ten and I’m supposed to be a big kid but, could you?” Tony smiled and nodded.

“Scoot over,” Peter did as instructed and Tony moved so he was leaning against the headboard. Peter scooted back towards his dad, lying against his side. Tony lifted his hand and slowly began running it through his son’s hair.

“I love you, dad,” Peter said, his voice already heavy with sleep. Tony smiled and glanced down at his son. Peter’s eyes had drifted shut. His small chest was moving slightly up and down, in rhythm with his breathing. His face was relaxed, like he hadn’t spent most of his day watching news reports about what Tony had been up to. Tony pushed those thoughts away, continuing to card his hand through his son’s hair.

“I love you too Peter,” Tony said, even though he knew his son was fast asleep. He slowly got up, trying not to wake up his son. He walked over to the door and stood there, just watching Peter. Maybe things would get easier, maybe they wouldn’t. But as he watched his son sleep, he knew one thing for certain.

He and his son we’re going to be okay. And in that moment, that was all that really mattered to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr?
> 
> http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


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